Mutual Lie
by AI Rorello
Summary: A photo of Asui and Midoriya on a date causes a ruckus among the students of 1-A! Though the two of them deny that anything happened between them - this incident leads to a domino effect that will test their true feelings for each other.
1. Mutual

"I suppose I'd pick Midoriya."

That was my first and only response to their most recent conversation, and that was all it took for the four of them to attack me. Not violently, really - except for Mina, who roughly messed my hair with excitement. They pushed me quickly across the food court, past the -thankfully- empty tables and plainly-sorted plant decorations, nearly tripping ourselves into a sudden halt just a few feet from the subject of their girlish cheering.

Midoriya Izuku, my classmate, friend, and better known by his pet/hero-name 'Deku'... a pretty average boy - from what I knew of him. Average in height, average in looks, averagely shy in personality, and average in tastes for someone his age. Average in almost every way - outside of his Quirk and constant murmuring, that is. Excepting those - he's a surprisingly plain person. Gets himself into a lot of trouble, sure, but that has more to do with the situations he's unlucky enough to end up in rather than his behavior.  
Maybe that's why they dragged me here. Compared to the other guys they've been gossiping: Midoriya is pretty tame, and would be the easiest to approach out of all of them. But that's still no reason to force me into approaching him now. Didn't they hear the 'I suppose' part of my sentence? It wasn't a 'definitely' - and it definitely wasn't discussed over. Throwing me in here isn't them jumping to a conclusion: it's skipping an entire conversation.  
This is the last time I'll ever join those 'Who would you rather?' talks, that's for sure.

" _Ask him! Ask him!_ " they're whispering hard behind me - as if he can't clearly hear them at their volume. I wonder what he thinks of us crowding around him.

He looks at us with confusion. Sweating. Darting his eyes left and right. One of the conveniences of Midoriya's plain nature is how obvious he is to read. Even if you can't tell exactly what he's thinking, you can make a good guess as to what he's feeling just by looking at his expressions. And right now, he's clearly anxious.

"Ask him what?" I ask the trio of giggling girls on my back. I know what they want me to say, but it's a ridiculous enough request that it warrants me playing dumb.

" _You know - ask him out!_ " Toru hisses at me.

"He's gonna' say 'yes'. So just do it!" Mina pushed me.

"Come on." Jiro is saying with a grin, "What's the worst that could happen?"

"I could lose all my dignity and he would get a very wrong idea about us." I answered them.

"G-Guys, come on... This is silly." Momo - the voice of reason - finally speaks up on my behalf. "She'll ask him out when she's good and ready."

Momo, you were so close.

"Midoriya... Midoriya..." Mineta, the little grape head, is stuttering while he's shaking. "C-Could this be? No way… Are you getting asked out?!" His face is planted onto the table now; slamming his fists and kicking his feet like a child. "You betrayed me!"

"N-No way!" Midoriya's eyes are wide, and his face is beet red. I would've been embarrassed at his reaction if I hadn't already gotten used to it. From what I've seen, Midoriya is easily flustered, especially around girls. His age or older. Reading his behavior in any other way would lead into a shallow misunderstanding.  
"R-Right, Asui?" he asks as he looks at me with a pathetic-attempt of a grin. It's so pathetic, I almost end up giggling.

"Call me Tsuyu." I give him my usual response.  
The excitable trio behind me begin squealing.  
"I ask everyone to call me that." I snap at them.

"Y-Yeah. It's nothing like that!" Midoriya exclaims while waving his hands in defense.

"You never ask me to call you that." Mineta looks at me blankly, expecting a response.

"Anyways, this was all a misunderstanding." I say to Midoriya, knowingly ignoring the stupidly-stunned look on Mineta's face. "Sorry for bothering you during your lunch."

"It's fine. It's fine." He says to me with a slight blush. That expression was always a little endearing for me, I'll admit. It's innocent and honest. "I'm surprised so many of us 1-A students are in this mall at the same time. Are you four just hanging out here, or...?"

"Clothes shopping!" Toru shouts loudly behind us. Is it ironic or fitting that she's always the most excited about buying clothes? What with her invisibility.

"Well it is getting hotter nowadays. I'll need to get a change of clothes too... Mineta and I came out here to get some fresh air while we studied. Iida was supposed to meet with us, but he's running a little late."

"That's definitely ironic." I giggle. "You're awfully diligent to be studying this far from our next test. Not that I think you're not diligent, Midoriya. I just thought you'd unwind a little more on our day off."

"What about me? Did you think I was a slacker?" Mineta asks as if I insulted him. It's best that I keep ignoring him, since he always twists any conversation I have with him.

"I'll let you get back to your studying then." I say with a little bow of apology. The group of girls behind me are groaning and boo'ing their disappointment with me. Except for Momo, who does a small bow beside me.

"Enjoy your shopping! Oh! _Um..._ did you want to ask me something?"

And I was so close to getting away.

"She wants to ask you out!" Toru opens her big, invisible mouth. "You don't have a girlfriend, right?"

I stiffen... I really don't want to look. But, at the same time, I really do. Maybe I'm curious about what exaggerated face he'll give in response. Maybe I'm a little curious over what he thinks of the unexpected question. I'm not really sure. All I know is that I find myself turning around anyways - probably wide-eyed and red-faced.  
My reaction slackens lightly, seeing how much more wide-eyed and red-faced Midoriya is. He looks like a balloon-headed cartoon character. Should I be laughing at his expression? I should feel bad for him - but isn't that face just a bit too much?  
No, I should take this very seriously. This conversation has gotten way out of line.  
"Toru, be quiet." I say bluntly, "She's joking, Midoriya."

"I am not!"

"You should be. I never agreed to asking him out."

"Well - maybe you didn't, _but..._ Midoriya, we were having a talk about which guys we would want to ask out in our class, and Tsuyu here said she'd choose you."

"I said _'I suppose'_ I'd choose him." I plant my face into my hand and squeeze at my cheeks hard. I know I'm blushing pretty hard. This is embarrassing. For him. For me. For everyone here. Why and how did my day lead into this? It's better that I make this as clear as I can, right here and now. "Look, Todoroki looks like he wants to be left alone, Bakugo has issues he needs to work out, Iida is too strict with everything and everyone, and everyone except for Mineta seems nice, but I don't know any of them well enough. I don't really hang out with them - and I'd never ask someone out before I do at least that."  
I pull my head out of my hands and look at Midoriya. He's still frazzled, and almost like he's about to faint, but he's still here - and he's still aware enough to lock eyes with me. Hopefully he's still listening. "I said there was a chance I'd choose you, Midoriya, because you're a nice enough guy. I don't know too much about you, and you don't know too much about me, but at least we can at least say we're friends, right? And that's fine. I don't have a thing for you, just to be clear. No crush, or attraction, or even consideration. At most, I admire and respect you greatly as a friend. I suppose I only chose you as an answer to that rhetorical question because you're the safest choice of Class 1-A - for me. That's all, really. You're not the worst choice I could make at the moment. And I gave them my answer with that realistic outlook."

Mineta puts his hand on Midoriya's shoulder, and starts shaking his head. " _Ooh..._ I think you were just rejected, buddy. But what can you do? You're just really good 'friend' material for people."

" _Oh..._ " Midoriya voiced, shortly before sighing. His face is no longer red, and his eyes aren't comically wide anymore. He seems relieved now, though a little sad. Who wouldn't be after hearing that come from someone of the opposite sex? Even if you don't have attraction towards them - you still hold their opinion of you higher than the average peer.  
Midoriya closes his eyes and gives another sigh, calming himself further. He looks at me and grins. "I'm really glad you see me as a great friend. And that you regard me well enough to consider me 'safe for dating'. I'm sure you meant that as a compliment. And I'm really honored by it. You're a really great friend to me too, Asu- er, Tsuyu. And, um, don't take this the wrong way - but, I wouldn't mind it if you asked me out either."

"Don't you like Uraraka?" I ask.

His face is a deep red now - pretty much confirming the obvious. "Wh-What? No! I-!" The girls behind me are ooo'ing and gasping in excitement, happy that another treat was tangled in front of them. Midoriya is shaking his head so quickly that it looks like it would unscrew itself. "Sh-She's a good friend!"

"If you keep calling girls 'good friends', that's all they'll end up being." Mineta attempts to lecture him with his 'words of wisdom'. "See, no girl is 'just a friend' to me, so I -"

"No girl would ever consider you a 'friend', Mineta." I respond, causing Mineta to look as if I stabbed him in the heart. "I'm just teasing you, Midoriya. Don't worry about it. And... I'm glad that you wouldn't mind if I asked you out. That's a strong compliment for me." I mean that.

" _Eheh._ " He gives me an honest smile. I find myself smiling back without thinking. His smile's contagious... when he's not trying too hard, that is.

We find ourselves just standing and staring - continuing our satisfactory smile-backs for a few seconds longer than comfortable. How do you politely end an interaction like this? Do you just wave and leave? Excuse yourself out? It's difficult to know when there's a group of girls crushing your back under the weight of their stares. Well, what are they expecting to happen?

Midoriya is the one to break our eye contact. "Oh, Iida! You're here!" He exclaims as he looks over my shoulder. I follow his eyes and find the unmistakably stiff figure of Iida Tenya heading towards us. Seeing him always makes me kind of nervous. Not because of his behavior, but because he's very tall, robotic, and loud. A lot of things about him just make me feel uncomfortable when he's near. Like I can never relax.

Iida looks at me, then at the party behind me. "Asui. Yaoyorozu. Ashido. Jiro. Hagakure. Pleasant afternoon." he says as he does slight nods to each of us. "Were you invited to share notes as well?"

"No, no, we're not here for that." Mina backs away with a slight laugh. She's never been the type to enjoy study sessions.

"That is a nice idea though." Jiro says with her finger to her chin. She looks at Midoriya. "You think I can set up a note-sharing session between all of us sometime?"

Midoriya blinks. "Huh? Oh, yeah. I'd be up for it. Mineta?"

"Will you invite us into your room?" Grape-head asks Jiro directly.

"Ha, no. I'm thinking of holding it at a restaurant. One of the girls at Class B has a family that runs a pretty chill one."

"You're already building connections with the other classes. That's very proactive of you, Jiro." Iida responds with a half-clap. "I'll need to expand my own network in the coming year. Would you mind if you passed along the invitation to the students of Class 1-B as well?"

"Yeah, that's a cool idea. I'm sure some of them will be up for it."

"I can help with that." Momo chimes in, "I have a few of their phone numbers."

"Yaoyorozu as well! I'm falling further behind than I thought." Iida gives a strange, worried look.

"That's because you're too stiff with socializing. You gotta' be more flexible." Mina tells him.

"Look who's talking. You talk to the same three guys every day." Toru teases.

From the looks of it, the conversation just completely veered off its previous one and is heading towards more socially-neutral territory. I'm really glad for that.

It would be a few minutes still with our chatting and joking around before we ended up splitting up - and we would return to our shopping - and the boys to their studying. We decided that we were indeed going to have a large note-sharing session between the students of Class 1-A and 1-B. Even if our primary studies were completely different from one another - our general ones more or less lined up. The date of the session was still up in the air, since it's rarely ever the case that we're not exhausted on days off. But we decided it would at least be soon.

I'm kind of looking forward to it. I've been having trouble in math.


	2. Learning

After nearly two weeks of rough class 'projects' and 'tests', and too many apology-filled cancellations - the day of our note-sharing session had finally come.  
I almost didn't think it would ever happen. And I don't mean to be pessimistic, but I feel like it could get cancelled any second now. Another cancellation would be a problem though - since I gave my notebook to Mina over the weekend, so she wouldn't be too far behind when we started sharing notes. If this one is cancelled too, I won't be able to study my notes until the day of the test. Which, I'm pretty sure I can pass without them - but a review always helps to make sure.  
 _'Slacking off once will only lead to slacking off twice'_... a saying, I'm embarrassed to say, that I learned from Mineta.

I pick up my phone and reconfirm the address. We were individually sent the name and address of the restaurant via text, rather than receiving it through the group chat - only because Toru's over her data limit for the month. From what Jiro told me, the place is kind of fancy. You have to dress a little fashionably, or at least 'casually chic', in order to not get any glares in the place. It sounds kind of stiff to be called 'chill', but everyone has their own interpretation of a relaxed atmosphere.  
While I don't normally enjoy dressing up fancy just to go out, this was a rare occasion - so I sucked it up and rummaged through my stuff for an outfit. Rare as the occasion, I oddly had a little fun this time looking for something 'casually chic' that suited me.  
What I ended up with wasn't much, but it's a lot more than I'd normally bother to put together: A light, loose fabric, teal v-neck shortsleeve - with some English sentences, in cursive, dyed faintly white over the trim, curving from the left-front and leading to the spine. I'm not sure what it says, but English always looks 'chic'. Blue, barely-flared bell-bottom jeans with a thin, built-in wallet chain hanging off one of its belt buckles and tucking itself inside the left pocket. Basic black pumps that look a little too close to boots in their shape, but lacking the laces to match it. A large, wear-over, lighter-brown belt hanging diagonally atop my waist and touching its end at my upper-thigh. And a thin, gold necklace that I found around my house a few days ago - which no one claimed to be theirs. Even though I'm sure it's one of mom's old necklaces, I decided to wear it. It looks nice with my outfit. Nothing was done with my hair outside the usual, and I'm not going to wear any make-up. I cared to dress up this time around, but not enough to fake my 'appeal'. The only thing left to fancify is...  
I look at my hands, mainly at my wrists. On most outings, I'm either wearing longsleeves, gloves, or some kind of wristband.  
While most people don't notice it, I do wear those things on purpose. I'm overly-aware of the fact that my hands are big in comparison to my arms. By covering my wrists in some way, it takes people's eyes off of that disproportion. I know my big eyes, tendency-to-hunch posture, and long tongue stick out more in people's perceptions of me... but it's my abnormally large hands that I'm embarrassed over. Girls are supposed to have small hands. They can be big, tall, and muscular - but their hands and feet are always smaller than a guy at their size. I don't know why I'm so self-conscious of it, but I am. My hands are just what makes me feel out of place around others. And I can't get around that yet. And I can't get around that now... Without a wristband or glove, they're really going to stick out. Maybe I should wear a longsleeve underneath this.

My phone starts ringing. It's Mina.

"You're still coming, right Tsuyu?" she asks through the speaker before I could even answer, "I'm in a ride with Toru and Momo, and we're close to the restaurant. We're going to pick up some stuff here first, but right afterwards we're going to head in."

"Yes, I'm coming. Am I late?" I know I'm not late... but they're there awfully early.

"Nah. We just went ahead of everyone else. You should head over soon, though, so we can look through the menu before anyone gets here!"

That's a good idea. I wasn't planning on getting anything more than a drink when I arrived, but maybe this restaurant looks down on small purchases like that. Studying the menu before I have to be rushed would save me a lot of trouble. "I'll head out now, then. Should I call before I go in, or will I see you once I arrive?"

There's a pause in her response. It sounds like she's confirming with Momo. "Just go in the restaurant! Our table's reserved under 'Jiro'. The waiter will lead you right to it."

"Reserved, huh?" The place is fancier than I thought. "Do I need to tell them how many is in our party? There could be more than one 'Jiro' reserving."

"The place is practically empty on these days. Just tell them 'Jiro'. No need to be so nervous about it."

"I'm not nervous. I'm just being caref-"

"Oh, oh, sorry - I have to go. _Toru, wait up!_ " she cut in before she cut off.

My phone chimed and blacked out. I guess I'll settle with what they told me. I've never been to a restaurant that reserved seats for anyone, outside of class trips to restaurants, so this will be new for me. But it shouldn't be too hard to do, right?

I suppose I _am_ a little nervous.

* * *

The restaurant's name looks like the words on my shirt. As in - in English, and in cursive. I can't read it. According to the text, it should be at this address, and it's pronounced something like _'Geta-We-I'_ , with the last syllables making the English 'A' sound together. The word sounds familiar, but I think I've only heard it in those American Action movies. Usually has to do something with cars. Maybe it's a car-themed restaurant.  
I walk in and can confirm that it has nothing to do with cars. This place looks fancy. Too fancy. French fancy. I'm not sure if I'll be able to afford anything more than tea here. If they even have tea here. I begin sweating... What if the menu is in English? And in cursive? I hope the waiters are Japanese!  
A look at the counter sweeps a lot of my nervous energy away. The waiter is obviously Japanese, and the 'lunch special' is written in Japanese. It doesn't have the price written on it, but at least it's Japanese. But now another worry runs over me... How Western is this place? Do I have to tip? How do you tip? Maybe I should look it up on my phone before I go any further.  
As I'm stepping away from the entrance to check my phone, I notice a familiar face nearby... also looking at his phone. At the corner I was approaching, Midoriya Izuku is sweating ridiculously with a twitching smile. His attempt at looking casual is failing horribly. Though I feel bad, seeing him like this really puts me at ease. I'm nervous about this too - but nowhere near as nervous as he is.

"Midoriya." I call to him.

" ** _Yessu, ma-am!_** " he nearly squeals in forced English. After he realizes it's me, he gives a heavy sigh of relief. "Asui!"

"Call me Tsuyu." You think I would get tired of saying that now, but it's kind of a fun greeting between the two of us. "Are you worried about if we need to tip?"

"H-Huh? How did you know?"

"I was worried about it too. But..." I look over at the waiter behind the counter. He's not looking at us, but his posture is showing that he's obviously uncomfortable with our crowding of the entrance. "We should probably head to the table, before we inconvenience anyone."

"You're right. You're right." he says with a shaky laugh. "I think I got a hang of how to tip, at least. And I have an app that translates English text. But I'm not really good at conversing with English yet."

"I'm pretty sure they speak Japanese here, Midoriya." I say that confidently now, but I was worrying over it not too many minutes ago. I lead the way to the counter, trying to keep myself from slouching, and greet the waiter. "We have a table reserved under 'Jiro'." I wanted to add that we're a party of twelve, but maybe keeping it simple will make this easier.

The waiter looks down at his notepad and scans through its names. Reservations written down rather than typed in... this place isn't just fancy, it's kind of uppity. His eyes lock to a line before looking up at us. "Right this way."

We follow him down a mixed row of booth-like tables-for-six and cafe-style tables-for-two. Everything here is definitely Western themed - what with the decorative, curling carvings embedded in the tables and chairs. It's not enough to tell me their price range, but I can at least be confident that this isn't going to be cheap. I hope I brought enough.  
Like Mina had told me before: this place is empty - which makes me think I definitely didn't bring enough. Places like this are only empty during this time of day because its usual customers are only willing to pay its prices for nice dinners. This is going to be a problem.  
Midoriya is muttering incoherent things beside me. If I listen closely enough, it sounds like he's voicing the very same worries that I was thinking. Except he's doing it in a creepy way that's making even our waiter uncomfortable.

The waiter finally leads us to a small booth. Definitely too small for a party of twelve, but there's no tables here large enough for a party that big. I'm guessing we're just going to be sharing booths and tables near enough to pass our notes around comfortably. The tables are spaced closer to each other than I'd expect from a rich place, but it's probably why we picked this place out. Looking the place over with a bit more relief in my chest, I'm confident that we can do some solid studying and fun socializing here.

Midoriya and I sit in the same booth, rather than pick our own, so as to not weird the waiter out. I'm sure he thinks we're a couple - since that's the easiest assumption to go with - but that thought will soon disappear once our other studymates flood in.  
Speaking of which...

"I wonder where everyone is." Midoriya voices my concern before I could look at my phone.

"Mina, Toru, and Momo will be here soon. They're checking out the stores around the plaza before they come in." At least... that's what they told me. Unlocking my phone, I notice that it's about a minute away from our scheduled study time. I haven't received any texts or calls since the one I got this morning. But none of this should be too worrying. This restaurant was kind of out of the way from our usual routes, so it's expected for people to be arriving later than usual.  
My eyes look up at Midoriya, who's also checking through his phone. The wait may be expected, but it will definitely be awkward for the both of us until they arrive. Midoriya and I talk in class, but usually with others around. I don't think we've ever been alone together. Not that I feel uneasy around him... Or maybe I do. I don't really know how to have a casual conversation with a boy. But his interests are simple enough that we could at least talk about things for a few minutes... Or we could just start talking about class. That's tame enough.

"Huh?" Midoriya's face is showing obvious puzzlement. "Mineta just sent me a text."

"Oh?"

"He's asking us where we are... He's already sitting at the table."

I turn and look around the booth. No one's in view. All the tables around us are empty. There are sounds of quiet talking and utensils tapping at plates - but that's coming from around the corner, on the other side of the restaurant that we can't see from here. Wait... Does that mean we were led to the wrong table? Was there another 'Jiro' reserved here - and the waiter assumed we were the separate 'Jiro' because we didn't come in with a large group? I should've told the waiter our party size after all!

" _Um..._ I have no idea what's going on." Midoriya laughs nervously and leans his phone towards me. The word 'TRAITOR' keeps being sent to him as a message in his conversation with Mineta. "Is his phone broken?"

Before I could respond, I get a text on my phone:

* * *

"Good luck! ^_~"

* * *

Oh no.

"E-Excuse me." I say and pretend to walk towards the entrance counter. Halfway there, I look around the corner of the restaurant - towards the side that was blocked from our view. There, I see a larger party of people, eating and socializing at a cluster of tables. They're sharing notes and showing things on their laptops. The only problem is... These are old men. Business men.

No one from Class 1-A or 1-B is in this restaurant.

I return to the 'Jiro' booth, with my shoulders slumped in defeat. Midoriya looks even more confused than before. He's responding to texts. A lot of them, from the looks of it. I place my arms on the table before planting my face into them.

"I keep getting encouraging texts from our classmates. I have no idea what's going on!" he repeats the last line with a half-laugh as he continues his texting spree.

" _They set us up._ " I groan to him.

"Huh?"

"I said they set us up."

"What do you mean?"

"Midoriya... We're on a date right now."

His phone drops loudly onto the table. I bow in apology to the waiter, who's approaching us with a trying-calm look on his face.

"Your drinks and appetizer." the waiter says to us as he slides two glasses onto the table - one colorful and clear, and the other thickly dark with whipped cream on top. He then carefully places a plate of some kind of fried meat, surrounding a small bowl of a black-specked, white condiment.

I look up at Midoriya. He meets my eyes and whispers, "I didn't order this."

The waiter clearly overheard him. "These are from the orders you reserved online. Of course we didn't make them until you arrived, but rest assured that these are the ones you placed. If there are any concerns or changes you would like to make, please let me know."

" _Um..._ How much do they cost?" Midoriya asks sheepishly. It's a really awkward question to ask, but a necessary one.

"You already paid for these when you made your order through the app. Not to worry, there are no hidden charges - and we don't expect tips from our customers. Though they are encouraged." With a bow, he excused himself from our table. "I'll return with the main course. For now, please enjoy."

"C-Can I have some chopsticks? Or a fork?"

"Of course, sir."

"I'd like a fork as well."

"Very well. I'll return shortly." The waiter turns and walks away briskly, quick to fulfill his customer's orders.

"I guess these are supposed to be finger foods." Midoriya says as he pokes at the appetizer plate. "I mean, I wouldn't mind using my hands, but I don't want to get our notes dirty."

"Oh, you brought your notes?"

He looks away with a slump of surrender. " _No..._ Sero was holding onto them for me."

"Mina has mine." I tap at my chin. "I don't think this is coincidence."

" _Y-Yeah..._ "

"They thought this through. Now I'm wondering if all those previous meetings were cancelled just so they could buy themselves more time."

"I wonder. _Ha ha..._ "

We sit and stare at our twiddling fingers, unsure of what else to talk about. Midoriya, at least, seems very wary of discussing the matter directly. Ever since I said 'date', he hasn't locked eyes with me. It's understandable for a shy boy like him. But... I'm not locking eyes with him either.  
Maybe his shyness is contagious. Or maybe I'm shy too. I know I don't have experience in talking with boys outside of a group - especially in a situation like this - but isn't it rude for me to just let this silence continue between us?  
The waiter returns and places some silverware to our left-sides of the table. He does a quick bow and excuses himself once again.  
We begin picking at the appetizer with our forks... less out of hunger, and more because it's something to do. We're at a restaurant, and the food is paid for: so we should eat. If we do at least what's necessary, then we're not wasting this moment, are we?  
No, I'm just making excuses. I'm really nervous about all this. I mean... I haven't been alone with a boy my age before. And I definitely have never been on a _date_.

That last word just made my heart stop.

 _"Midoriya -" "Asui -"_ we interrupt each other.

I clear my throat. "Call me Tsuyu."

"Then... _Tsuyu..._ "

My face is burning red. Why? I don't mind people calling me 'Tsuyu'. I prefer it that way. And Midoriya's a good friend, so I definitely don't mind him calling me that.  
But in a situation like this - with the two of us alone - eating in a nice restaurant together... it sounds a lot more intimate than it should.

Why is this frazzling me? I just told him a while ago that I wouldn't mind dating him. And besides, this isn't a real date, right? We were both forced into this. In our eyes, we only agreed to this because it was a study session. So by intent: this is just a study session!  
A study session with nothing to study... _except each other_.

I slap my cheeks hard. I can't lose myself in these kind of thoughts.

"You w-were saying?" Midoriya asks me. Now that I think about it, he never finished the sentence he was trying to say earlier. I force myself to look at him in the eye - and I find out why. His face is far more red than mine. And he looks like he has tears in his eyes. Him calling me by my given name at that time probably was more embarrassing for him than it was for me.

I find myself chuckling. "Are you okay?"

" _ **Totally fine!**_ " he says with a creak in his voice.

I chuckle even more. "We shouldn't force ourselves like this, Midoriya. We should just go along with this casually."

"G-Go with what?"

"You have to keep making me say it? We're... _on a date._ " I mumbled that last part. But he heard it. Before we could end up in an awkward silence loop once again, I push myself to talk, "Being on a date shouldn't make us get so serious with each other. Dates exist so that two people can just get to know each other before taking things to the next step. Most times, people don't end up going to the next step. People date, and don't end up getting together. That's normal. We shouldn't feel like that's any different for us. Technically, all a date is, is just a way for people to hang out in a more personal setting. So we really shouldn't have to act any different than we do in class and class trips, right?"

"Right."

"Then let's just hang out and enjoy the moment. It'll be enough to satisfy the ones who set this up - and we get free food for participating in it."

Midoriya's shoulders loosen as he sighs, sounding - and looking - significantly relieved. "I'm really glad that this is with you, Tsuyu. You're absolutely right. This... date doesn't have to mean anything more than us hanging out together. You and I don't really get the chance to do that much in our classroom, so I'm glad we can do it now."

"That's the spirit, Midoriya."

"Should we dig in then?"

"Let's dig in!"

* * *

We must have spent a little over two hours in that restaurant. Eating, drinking, and talking about an assortment of things. I found out a little more about his history with Bakugo. He learned a bit more about my family. We talked over our hero-names, which heroes we looked up to when we were kids, our opinions on capes and poses, and what kind of non-hero life we'd like to live outside of our hero jobs.  
The latter subject was the most intriguing for me, since Midoriya may be the first guy I've ever talked to/overheard that never mentioned being married or having kids in their non-hero-life. Not that he doesn't want them, but that he didn't have them as one of his points. Maybe it's because most men are trying to impress women with that sort of answer... but Midoriya's response is more in-line with what a kid would tell a parent than what a guy would tell a girl.  
Not that I'm judging that against him - I didn't mention being married or having kids either. Does that make me childish or independent? I'm not sure.

After finishing our desserts and properly tipping the waiter - which took an embarrassingly long amount of time - we readied ourselves to our next destination.  
Rather than calling it quits and doing the bare minimum of what was expected of us, Midoriya and I agreed that we should meet our matchmaker's challenge head-on. I texted Mina, "What else do you have planned for us?"  
Unsurprisingly, they had another place reserved for us... two tickets to an amusement park. Not very original, but I won't turn down a fun day at the amusement park. Neither would Midoriya. We took the paid-for taxi service straight to one of the newer amusement parks across the city - known for its implementation of VR headsets to save up on property space.  
We rode their only roller coaster, played around in their virtual bumper karts, took on a horde of zombies in their Hollywood-grade survival simulator, competed for a few DLC packs for games we didn't own in their shooting range, and ate a lot of cotton candy. Though, Midoriya really only had half, since he ended up throwing up a good amount of it... he got really motion sick from the VR. Ignoring that part, we had an absolute blast. I found myself laughing a lot louder and more openly with him than... with anyone I've met outside my family, really. I've never been on a date before, obviously. And I've never really hung out with friends quite like this before. So this was all really new to me.

I hope he doesn't think my laugh sounds silly... because it really does.

Before we left the park, we decided to go into one of those photo booths. I've been in a ton of these, but never with a guy before. I was curious as to how they play around with the poses. He's only done this once, and with a group of guys, so I had to show him how to set up the photos. But with their time limits, we had a lot of shots with one of us missing in them. I laughed a lot more here than I expected to. Normally with girls we do silly poses or attempted sultry ones. But Midoriya only had two kinds of poses: overly shy, or try-hard heroic. The latter had me cracking up.  
"Oh, oh, this one's a good photo!" Midoriya slides one of the sticker-packs towards me. He and I are mimicking a pose from one of France's duo heroes - because we had accidentally chosen the Eiffel Tower as our background for that round of photos. The picture is really cheesy, but I suppose - in a way - we do look kind of cool in it.  
My amusement with the set quickly vanishes, however. I yank the sticker away from the bench and attempt to toss it in the trash. Midoriya catches my arm midway. " _Woah!_ Hey! What are you doing?" he barely shouts as he frantically reaches for the photos.

"This is a really bad photo set. I have to get rid of it."

"No way! We paid a lot for that one! And at least let me keep some of them!"

I stop struggling and hold the stickers still. "Which ones?"

He points. "That. _That one._ And that one."

"Not those!" I try throwing them away, but he ends up snatching it from my hands.

"What's wrong with them?" He pulls the photo close. "You look cool in these!"

"No I don't!" I'm trying to grab at it, but I can tell he's using his Quirk to dodge me at the last seconds. I could just grab it with my tongue, but that photo's still fresh from the print... and ink tastes awful.

Suddenly, Midoriya grabs both my hands by their wrists with one of his hands, and shows me the photo with the other. "Honestly, Tsuyu. What's wrong with these?" his voice is showing a more serious concern now. I may have ruined the mood by taking it this far...

" _My wrists are showing..._ " I mumble in defeat.

"Huh?"

"My wrists are showing in the photos." I groan. I had completely forgotten that I wanted to put a longsleeve underneath my shirt this morning. Looking at the photos again makes me wince.

"So what if your wrists are showing?" Midoriya asks naively.

"My hands look freakishly huge in these photos."

"No they don't."

"Midoriya, they're the size of my head. And my arms look like twigs in comparison."

"They're not that big. And your arms aren't that small."

I grip my hands open and closed – repeatedly in his face. "Look at them. They're larger than your hands."

"So?"

"Maybe you've gotten used to them because you see me in class all the time, but what was your first impression of my hands?"

"That they suit you?"

"Eh? My tiny body, with these huge hands, suits me?"

"Tsuyu, they look fine on you."

I break his hold on my wrists and plant my palms against his. My fingers are wider than his, longer too. My palms stretch over his. I can't see his hands at all from this angle. Meanwhile, my wrists are smaller than his, and his forearms are significantly meatier than mine. Now that I look at it, he's actually pretty well-toned. That doesn't really match his personality... but it makes sense for his Quirk. That's not the point! "See? My hands are gigantic!"

The sound of a camera shutter breaks the two of us out of our conversation.

Across from us, Mina, Toru, and Jiro are staring at us impishly. Momo is behind them, looking slightly ashamed for being here. Mineta and Kirishima are here too. With Mineta pale as a ghost, and Kirishima yowling cheerfully at the side.  
Seems like some of Class 1-A broke away from the study session to check up on us.

"You two seem to be hitting it off well." Jiro teases with a sly smile.

Mina takes a few more photos before putting away her phone. "Are you two an item now?"

"What are you talking about?" I ask with a slight irritation in my voice, leftover from my argument with Midoriya, "We're still just friends, right, Midoriya?"

"Of course." he answers with a slightly proud face. He seems to be enjoying the fact that we didn't fall into their ploy like they wanted us to.

" _Oh?_ Then why are you two holding hands?" Mina asks smugly.

Midoriya and I turn towards each other, slowly realizing what position we were in. Sitting on a bench, closely to one another, our hands planted against each other's, looking into each other's eyes. _Oh crap._  
We pull away immediately, our faces turning red. " ** _This isn't what it looks like!_** " I yell.

Awkwardly enough, I don't get a response. I glance at the group. They're staring back at me, specifically, with a look of astonishment. What did I do?  
It quickly dawns on me that it wasn't anything that I did - it was how I did it. I clear my throat hard. "This isn't what it looks like..." I repeat, but now with a completely different tone of voice. It was a subtle change so I never realized - but the tone of voice I used around Midoriya had lightened over the course of the day. Friendlier, bubblier, maybe. All I know is that it's a tone of voice that no one other than my family's heard from me. I never realized just how different it was from my 'regular' voice until now.  
Focusing hard to normalize the tone, I continue, "We were just comparing hand sizes."

" _R-Right..._ " Mina says with a nervous snicker.

"We were." Midoriya chimes in, "All we were doing was comparing hand sizes. You just caught us at a really awkward time."

" _Yeah right._ " Mineta scowls with dramatic tears in his eyes.

"No, really! Tsuyu and I had our date like you guys wanted, but we're still just good friends."

" _Well that was a waste..._ " Toru groans.

"Hey Midoriya." Kirishima calls out, getting everyone's attention, "It may be easy for you to say that the both of you are still just friends. But it's pretty pathetic of you to say it right after holding hands with her - coincidence or not. It's a man's job to take their actions with the opposite sex seriously. You just took her hand-virginity and you're just going to play it off like it was nothing?"

A silence falls on the group.

" _Hand-virginity_ , really?" Mineta glares at Kirishima. "What are you, ten?"

"What? I'm being serious! Any bonding moment with a girl is serious business for a guy!"

"So if they even look at each other, would that count as eye-ginity too?"

" _It depends on how they're looking at each other..._ "

"That's enough of that." Momo walks forward and places herself between the two bickering boys. She looks at me with a sort of sad look in her eyes. "If that's your decision, then we should respect it. You two tried it out for the day, and it's your choice what happens afterwards between the two of you. But you have to be sure - is this really how you want it to end? This may be your only chance to be fully open with yourself and say what you really mean to say."

I stare hard at Momo, tilting my head almost until it's sideways - and put my finger to my chin, "Yaomomo... I think you seriously have the wrong idea over Midoriya and I's relationship. We're not hiding any feelings. We're really just friends, that's all."

"Huh?! But when the two of you..."

"And that's enough of that." Jiro interrupts Momo this time and pushes her off balance. "Yaoyorozu here reads too many romance novels."

"H-Hey!"

"You do. Anyways..." Jiro approaches me, putting her hand on my shoulder. "Sorry about all this." she says with a grin. "It's just - when the two of you were having that exchange at the mall, we all thought there was really good chemistry between the both of you. And it would have been a waste if you didn't at least give each other a shot. It's rare to find someone safe to try on your first date, especially one that you would consider a friend first - and it's even rarer that they would feel the same way towards you. Seeing both you and Midoriya like that, we thought, 'Why the heck not?' and pushed for this whole event."  
She puts her other hand on Midoriya's shoulder and pats us both. "If we gave you any trouble, then I'll apologize for the group - it was mostly my idea. But hey." She teasingly pushes him. "You did a good job for a guy on his first date. Thanks for taking care of Froppy for us."

"N-No problem." he nervously answers with a cute laugh, "She took care of me too."

"You're a good kid, Midoriya. Are you sure you don't want to take her first kiss?"

" _ **WHAT?!**_ " I can't tell if I shouted that, if Midoriya did, or if we both did. He's looking at me now. I don't know why, but I can't bring myself look back at him in return. This is just really embarrassing. I feel like I'm going to fall over and die.

"I'm just joking! Just joking!" Jiro laughs as she slaps our backs. I want to slap her away. "You two are adorable. Truth be told, it's not a bad idea if you decide to change your mind after all this, Midoriya. I'd be stoked. It's nearly impossible to find a good-enough guy to care after your friend."

After calming myself down, I end up blushing again. Jiro's very sweet. She's a little standoffish at times, and oddly formal with us despite her rebellious attitude. And of the friends I've made amongst the girls of 1-A, she's the only one who doesn't like being called by her given name. Because of these traits, I tended to think that she was only tolerating us hanging around her. But her words this time around removed any doubt over her real care for us, as her friends.

"So do we have your approval?" I ask.

"Woah now. Are you seriously asking me to give the OK to your relationship?" Jiro's eyes brighten up.

"No, I mean: do you approve of Midoriya and I staying as friends even after this whole dating thing? So you don't try to pull another stunt like that?"

" _Oh..._ Well yeah. I won't try to pull that stunt on you again, Froppy. You say what you mean and you mean what you say - that was made pretty evident here. But that doesn't mean I won't try to pull this on any of the other girls."

"That's fine. I just don't want another misunderstanding plaguing me in the future."

"Yeah yeah. You're off the hook."

"Thanks, Jiro." I say as I hug her at the hip.

" **REJECTED ONCE AGAIN, IZUKU!** " Mineta roars in victory. Over what, I'm not sure. At least he doesn't look like a ghost anymore. "You really need to stop trying so hard with the ladies."

"You need to stop trying so hard too." I slap him across the face with my tongue. I can only tolerate so much from him.  
I stand myself up from the shared bench and relax my shoulders. "All-in-all, it was a pretty fun day, Midoriya. Thanks for agreeing to go through with it."

Midoriya stands up, scratching the back of his head shyly. "Thank you for suggesting the option. I know I would've just buckled under the pressure and taken it too seriously. I mean, that's not to say I didn't date you seriously _\- or no, wait, I mean -_ "

"I know what you're trying to say. Did you have fun?"

"Yup!" he exclaims with a stupidly big grin.

Jiro nudges me lightly with her shoulder. She leans down and whispers, "You sure you don't want to keep him hooked?"

"I thought I made my intentions clear."

"Okay, okay... _I'm just saying... You've got a big, stupid grin on your face._ "

I do? I feel at my cheeks. They're raised up - and they kind of hurt. When did I start smiling like this? Do I always smile like this? From the way Jiro put it - this is the first time I've done this in front of her. Maybe Midoriya's smile really is contagious. I turn away from him, trying to calm my smile into a normal one.  
"Thank you for the date... We should hang out like this more sometime." I tell him.

"Definitely. You don't mind if I text you more, do you?"

"Not at all."

Some ooo'ing came from the girls, sprinkled with a cheerful 'Yow!' provided by Kirishima.

" _Can we give it a rest?_ " I groan, then yawn. This whole ordeal has me exhausted. "Mina."

"Yeah?"

"I need my notebook back."

"Oh shoot. I left it with Aoyama. I'm sorry!"

"Just give it back first thing in the morning."

"Will do!"

"I'll be heading home now, everyone. Thanks for the fun. See you all in class tomorrow." I give them a tired wave and nod to their responses before I turn and head towards the train station.

For some reason, I was kind of hoping that Midoriya would offer to walk me there.


	3. Unexpected

The written tests nearly killed me the following class day.  
Mina had forgotten to get my notebook back from Aoyama before the tests were passed out - and I was a lot more tired from yesterday than I thought I would be. A lack of my review materials, plus brain-drained, equals me mostly working off of common sense. And apparently the rules and regulations concerning hero conduct under corporate privacy – doesn't follow common sense. Despite the fatigue and discouragement, I barely passed the test. Just barely. The other tests, I'm not sure on yet. Mr. Aizawa stepped out to look over the bonus material he had us do.

Aoyama passed the main test with flying colors. I wonder if I should feel proud of my notes, or be disappointed that I couldn't remember anything that I had written down in them.  
Mina fell far below the passing mark. Some would say that it was karma biting her back for her forgetfulness, but I know it's just because she didn't study the notes I gave her. She's never been a fan of studying notes, even if she's the one who asked for it.  
Midoriya, even without being returned his notebook, passed the test with relative ease. Supposedly how hero companies work within international guidelines is very similar to how they work within most non-disclosure contracts in Japan. If you know how they handle things in one environment, then you'll have a solid guess as to how they'd handle the other.  
Or at least, that's what Midoriya blabbed on about in his text.  
He texted me just after Mr. Aizawa stepped out. He had texted me just before the test too. He and I have kind of been texting each other a lot more often than we thought we would. It started with my train ride home last night - when he had texted me 'Thanks for today' out of common courtesy. Somehow we ended up branching off from that, and continued the conversations we had made throughout that day. Before we knew it, we were texting past midnight. I even found myself texting him in the morning, shortly after waking up.  
I suppose I could blame our texting for my tiredness today. But heavy messaging sessions never wore me out before. When Mina and the others get excited about a topic, my phone never stops vibrating. Though, that's with four other girls. And I think Midoriya can compete with their bulk messaging just by himself.

Midoriya is… awfully talkative in text. I suppose I should have expected as much with how often he mutters to himself. Back when he saw me as just another girl, he could never get more than a few sentences out just to ask me a question. But with our time together yesterday, that changed to him being unable to say anything less than a paragraph's worth. Possibly because he felt a lot less pressured by my gender at that point - seeing me more as a close friend than a potential interest.  
With the verbal etiquette we reserve for those unfamiliar and opposite-gendered removed, it was only natural for the two of us to increase in our social boldness. The boldness that bloomed from him, in particular, came in the form of words per minute. My phone's message screen was absolutely drowned by his thumb-typed words last night, just as it is right now. I'm pretty sure he can contend for a texting world record if he honestly tried.  
I don't mind the ranting. The things he says to me are interesting. Well, how he puts them is what I find interesting. With Midoriya, everything he ever explains or talks about are things he's overly-passionate for. Even if it's a subject about making a sandwich, his amusing charisma will convince you that it's a topic of great, personal importance.  
This much interest in talking with someone else is foreign for me. The kind of conversations we have, the depth and layers I find in them, the eagerness I have to respond. None of it is familiar to what I've experienced before. I'm more used to the typical shallow talks - gossip and the sort. The kind I can just throw my opinions in from time to time to stoke the fires of curiosity, but eventually watch the embers of a topic fizzle out. My friends and I talk about all sorts of things all the time, every day - but none of what we talk about ever really holds weight or permanence, in comparison.  
The way Midoriya speaks with me, though - the way he gets me invested in his strange, conversational riddles - is just so different from all that. I think I'm genuinely enjoying it.  
It may just be because I'm inexperienced in socializing. Growing up, I didn't have many friends, for various reasons. With so few around, there just wasn't much of an opportunity for me to talk with earnest, or carry lengthy discussions like this. I mostly just sat and listened to others from the sidelines - never really involving myself, and never learning how. The way I talk to others now - 'straight and to the point' as Iida describes it - comes from that kind of isolated inexperience. I wouldn't know how to bring back up an old or related topic, nor would I know how to catch someone's interest in chatting with me… So I would just say things like how they are at the present, simply and harshly. That way I wouldn't need any of the verbal skills gained from experience - like flare or subtlety - to share my thoughts with others correctly.  
It made me more prone to misunderstanding people's sarcasms, sure, but my way of speaking makes it clear to others that I prefer 'plain' honesty over that kind of stuff. And Midoriya seems to agree with me in that sentiment. He says everything that's on his mind, everything weighing down on his chest - even if others might find it a chore to listen to his lengthy explanations. That's what has me so interested in our conversations and what he has to say, I think. The honesty between us.  
Maybe Midoriya's just as inexperienced as me. Maybe we're both a little naïve about this. But I don't think there's anything to be ashamed of when it comes to being genuine. So it should be fine if we keep talking like this. And it should be fine that I enjoy it so much. _Speaking of which…_

I feel my phone vibrating again. Midoriya must have figured out what he got wrong on the test and is getting back to me on it. I wonder if he's ignoring Iida's lecture just to text me?

I nearly fall off my chair.

I received a media message. Not from Midoriya. But from Mina.  
Under the words 'Can U feel the Luv?' is a picture of Midoriya and I... from the amusement park. We're sitting at the bench - a distant sunset acting as a stunning backdrop, our upper halves turned towards one another in full, affectionate attention, our hands pressed up against each other's, and our eyes - looking upwards, intimately, between our fingers, and into each other.  
This photo was taken so out of context that I had thought it was edited! But it took seconds for me to realize that it was just perfectly timed, and so perfectly angled. It's a stunning shot!

Except… it isn't. It's a terrible picture. It's completely misinterpreting what was happening in that moment. Midoriya and I were comparing hand sizes as part of an argument, to prove the point about my tiny wrists! Not… _whatever this is…_  
When did it get so warm in here?  
My head feels hot.  
This photo is all wrong. We're not doing… _that!_ But it looks like it - wow, it really does look like it. No, not _'wow'_! _'No way'_ , more like!  
I should be offended. I am offended. I'm really offended.  
But why would I be offended? Midoriya and I look perfect for each other.

* * *

 **WHAT AM I THINKING**

* * *

I slam the phone face-flat onto my table, holding back a frustrated yell. I don't know what kind of frustration, but it's there.  
Mina is across the room, giving me the smuggest snicker I've ever seen. Momo and Toru are staring hard into their phones. She must have sent it to them too. Toru's squealing now. Momo's not saying anything, but she's just completely hunched over her table - almost like she's staring at something inappropriate. Behind me, I can hear Jiro's 'impressed' whistle. Why is this happening...  
I glare daggers at Mina.  
She stares back with a stunned expression. I don't think she's ever seen me get angry before. Not that it mattered - as she goes right back to her smugly grin. She's getting a real kick out of this. Oh I want to throw something at her so badly.  
Wait, why am I getting upset? This is just a juvenile picture sent to me just to get a rise out of me. The misunderstanding with this had already been settled, so this little prank means nothing. This shouldn't bother me at all. It's not a big-

I stupidly flipped my phone back over to give the photo a second look. Now my head is spinning. I want to yell. Yell what, I don't know. I really don't know. This photo is so wrong. It's very, very wrong. I need to delete it from my history right now.  
I should. I really should. But...  
I'm looking at the photo again and I can't bring myself to do it. It's too perfect of a shot. To delete it would be a waste, right? But what would the point of even keeping it be? What, am I going to put it up as a wallpaper? It's not the worst idea. Except, it is! This is just a stupid, terrible photo! Delete it, Tsuyu! Just delete it! After three more seconds, I'll delete it, for sure. Two more seconds… One and a half…

"What are you looking at?"

" **KEROOOOOOOO!** "

"AAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Midoriya and I look at each other - completely stunned. He yelled right as I screeched. I probably scared him half to death... And from the looks of my surrounding classmates: I probably scared everyone in the room half to death. I've never yelled like that in the classroom. Or in public. My face is really red now. I want to shrink into a ball, and keep shrinking until I'm completely gone. Or maybe I should ask Uraraka to make me float away into infinity.

"Are you okay?"

" _ **AAAAAAAAAAH!**_ "

"AAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Now Uraraka is completely stunned and staring at me. My heart might have stopped... or it's beating so fast that I can't feel it anymore.  
I can't let her see the photo. What am I thinking? I can't let ANYONE see this photo! I need to delete it from everyone's phones!  
No, I need to calm down and think rationally. They'll only be more curious of the photo if I try to get rid of it so suddenly. If, instead, I were to let a neutral party see it and they don't make a big deal out of it - then interest in it should drop, and I'll be able to delete it safely. But who would be the least caring towards this photo? Or at least: who wouldn't cause waves if they reacted to it in any way?  
My answer is already staring at me even before I could turn towards him. He's forcing his eye to glimmer and shine while he winks at me. Aoyama Yuga. Sparkling boy.

"A-Aoyama, what do you think of it?" I ask as I reach my phone towards him. My voice is trembling, I need to relax it. This plan should work. No need to get anxious.  
Aoyama is sitting at his seat, his head propped up by his arms on his table - his fingers holding up his chin elegantly. He looks ridiculous as usual. Perfect.  
With a swing of his hair, he looks down at my phone, staring directly into the photo... He looks back up at me, then at Midoriya... And his eyebrows waggle in suggestive approval.  
That was not how I expected him to react.

"Eh?" Midoriya responds with a confused, and very worried look.

"I think the picture's perfect." Momo, of all people, answers the question that wasn't directed at her. She's giving Mina a heartful thumbs-up.

Midoriya, completely curious now, looks over Momo's shoulder to see. And his face immediately turns to stone.

" _ **SMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!**_ " Midoriya roars as he throws Momo's phone at full-power, through the classroom window. The glass of the room's windows shatter all at once, and a boom in the outside air causes other nearby classroom windows to explode.

Everyone stares out the classroom's now-glassless openings - unsure of what just happened.

" _What the hell is going on in here?_ " Mr. Aizawa growls as he peeks into the room.

I'd like to go home now, please.


	4. Responsibility

Most of Class 1-A was called into the Principal's office for questioning and lecturing. I'm sure this is the first time so many students were called in at once. We were probably the focus of gossip for the entire student body - though I doubt any of them knew what really happened in our classroom. One could argue that not even those in our own class knew what happened. Most of the testimonies blurted out made little sense of the event. Whatever stories was spun, whether by witness or gossip, Midoriya was made the main culprit of them all - seeing as he was the one that actually destroyed school property. It was an overreaction on his part, of course, but I'm the one that should have been faulted for this.  
Hindsight being 20/20, I realized soon after the fiasco that I could have simply answered Midoriya's question with 'I'd really prefer it if you don't see it'. Even if the others continued to show curiosity over the photo, a formal denial would have stopped them dead in their tracks. And knowing my friends, they wouldn't have shown the photo to anyone if I really didn't want them to. If anybody overreacted and blew things out of proportion, it was me.  
I've never reacted like that in public before... it was really immature of me. And I'm ashamed of it. I did my best to explain the situation as clearly as I could to the principal and faculty - and they got the general gist of it. Momo, Mina, Jiro, Toru, and I were all lectured and forced to delete the photos from our messaging history to avoid further trouble. No one would cause a fuss over it again. Additionally, our entire class was restricted from using their phones during class for an undisclosed amount of time. Class 1-A would all share the blame for the immature mess that my friends and I caused.  
Midoriya, though, still had to be the one held responsible for the damages of the incident. I would have been crushed by guilt over that judgement, but I had overheard that he was only being given a harsh warning as punishment. Someone in the faculty must have vetted for him. I seriously doubt UA would tolerate such behaviors on no-Quirk grounds - and from a student, no less. Without an influence from the faculty, I'm sure Midoriya would have, at the very least, received a suspension... which would put a scar on his permanent records.  
I'm really glad he wasn't suspended. I would have missed him.

The next few days of class saw things returning to normal. Whisperings and naggings over the incident were dying down mostly, and Midoriya and I's overreactions were pretty much forgotten by everyone. Only curiosity over the photo remained, and the only one willing to say anything about it is Sparkle-boy Aoyama... Not that he ever says anything worthwhile about it. He just hints at what _'emotions he felt from it'_ , and how 'lucky he was to have witnessed it'. Talking to him brings no one closer to finding out what it was he saw. And I don't think he has any intention of letting them find out. For now, he's just basking in the spotlight of people's attentions.  
Mina, Momo, Jiro, Toru and I are back to our usual friendships. I didn't hold a grudge against them for the photo, and they understand that it was rude of them to tease me over it. Though, Momo points out that she never meant her audible response as a tease - she honestly liked the photo. Admittedly, we all liked the photo for varying reasons. Mina could land herself a sidejob as a shutterbug, if she wanted to.

Midoriya and I have slowed down our friendship a little bit. The fiasco kind of shyed us away from one another. Not out of shame or embarrassment, but in mutual agreement. The two of us really excite each other's personalities - in a way we're both not used to yet. If we keep steamrolling forward with our talks and hanging-outs, we could cause another incident. So for now, we're just trying out smaller conversations and greetings. And we'll gradually grow it from there.

The ban on phones is taking its toll on all of us, though. While we had never fully-depended our lives and hobbies on our phones, save for a few incidents, having it removed from our casual campus use is causing a bad itch in each of us. I never knew how much I liked looking at the messages pop up on my phone during my breaks, until now. Iida is suffering from lack of news updates from associations he follows. Bakugo is in a fuss, like usual, but this time over him missing some tournament being streamed this week. Aoyama is nerve-wracked that he can't keep up his daily selfies during lunch time. Momo has been taking far more trips to the library now, even skipping out on lunch, since she lost the convenience of using wikis and watching how-to's. And Mina and Toru have resorted to throwing notes at each other in the middle of class, which has gotten them in trouble four times in the last three days.  
Ochaco doesn't seem phased. And neither is Midoriya. Ochaco seems to do well with sticking to the typically scheduled social venues - like lunch time and home room. And Midoriya seems perfectly content with writing manically in his notes. Which notebook is that, I wonder.  
I realize I'm kind of leaning forward on my desk in an awkward position. It's a little embarrassing to admit, but I'm trying to nonchalantly get a view of what Midoriya's writing. Within just the two days of us texting each other, I had gotten so used to him explaining most of the stuff he wrote down in his notebooks that I find myself anxious not knowing. Really, I had gotten used to him explaining almost everything he did or thought about throughout his day. Nowadays, I often find myself looking around his shoulder just to get a glimpse of 'his day' and how he is. Getting that sneak-peek into his brain via texts made me wonder more about him - trying to see what excites his overactive mind, and what sort of conversation makes his expressions change. There's a lot more depth to Midoriya Izuku than most would expect. And I'm interested in finding out more.  
If one didn't know better, a person would think I have a crush on him. Rather than that - I'm honestly just fascinated by his way of living. It's so different from mine, so much livelier despite its shyness, that I feel like I'm missing something important by not paying attention to it. Like a faint thunderstorm in the distance - I might miss the lightning if I turn away for just a second.  
 _Huh._ That was pretty poetic of me. Maybe watching Midoriya living out his life to its fullest inspires me in my own life, or at least changes my way of thinking. I've never had a peer affect me in this way before. It's odd. Do I actually think 'Deku' is… _cool?_

I must look like some kind of stalker, staring at him like this for so long. Maybe I should just play around with my notebooks like everyone else.

* * *

Lunch ends and I'm antsy to head home. I'm tired. I'm not sure why, but ever since that day at the restaurant and park, I've been feeling a lot more tired between classes and activities. I can't blame the phone texts anymore, since I've been using it less and less due to the ban. And I haven't been staying up as late since Midoriya and I agreed to dial things back between us. Yet I'm so lethargic now. Maybe I'll visit Recovery Girl before I head home.  
I sit back at my desk and pull out my notebook. We have a free study period today... and I've already studied. Since I have nothing else to do, I might as well get back to messing around.

"Sorry to bother you, Asui."

"Call me Tsuyu, Uraraka." I look up to find Ochaco smiling at me. I'm never sure whether to call her 'Uraraka' or by her given name. She considers me a close enough friend to call her 'Ochaco', but 'Uraraka' is a little more fun to say. "Did you need something?"

"I was wondering if I could borrow your notes from last week?"

"Which ones?"

"The ones over environmental hazards and evacuation. I normally ask Iida for his, but he insisted that you write better notes on natural disaster topics."

"I guess I do. Iida must have borrowed my notes from Aoyama…" I say as I reach into my bag.

Ochaco blinks and tilts her head. "You draw?"

"Only when I'm bored… I'm not that good at it, but-" I freeze. My eyes sink down and stare at my notebook. I had been sketching in it on and off during my breaks. And the most recent doodle I've been working on... was of me and Midoriya, doing that weird duo pose that we did in the photo booth. I thought it was such a weird pose, so I wanted to try drawing it.  
Ochaco's face hasn't changed from her tilted smile. Maybe she doesn't mind it?  
The corner of her lips just twitched. She minds it. She has a crush on Midoriya - of course she minds it. If you find a girl drawing a picture of the guy you like, it's a little worrying. But if they're drawing themselves with the guy you like? That has to be grudge-worthy.  
"It was a pose Midoriya and I did at the photo booth." I tell her plainly.

"You two went to a photo booth?" she asks with a kind tone. She's a lot better at hiding her feelings than Midoriya, that's for sure.

"When the two of us went to that amusement park. You know, for the date." I remind her.

"You two... went on a date?"

It feels like the room just froze… Has no one told Uraraka about what happened that day? Didn't she go to the note sharing session with the others? I thought everyone invited knew about it!  
I turn quickly to Mina. It looks like she overheard. But she's covering her lips and shaking her head in response to my anxious stare. I look over to Toru. She's trying to signal me something, but I can't tell what it is. Momo hasn't noticed at all. And I can't turn around to Jiro to see what her reaction is. _Oh crap._ No one told her about the date!  
My throat swallows hard. "W-We were set up. We had no idea we were on a date until we got a text from Mina and the rest. They set up the date. It was just a ridiculous situation put on us, kind of like a prank. Except - not really." I'm nervous. I'm way too nervous about this. I feel like I'm copying Midoriya when he's panicking. I try to get a hold of myself. "Nothing happened on the date. Nothing intimate or strange like that. We just went through with the date as friends, and left it at that."

"Was that what was on your and Yaoyorozu's phone? A picture from that date?"

 _Crap..._ She put two and two together. How am I supposed to clear this misunderstanding? Midoriya, I'm going to need your help with this one.

"Yeah, it was a picture of them holding hands and making ooey-gooey eyes at each other, in front of a _beautiful_ sunset."  
A chill runs down my spine. Mineta is leaning on my desk, with a stupid look on his face. I can just smack him and say he's exaggerating.

"Oh yeah, I remember that! So that's what that photo was about?" Kirishima! _You-!_

"HUH?! Deku's got a date?" Bakugo turns from his chair, growling. He scowls at me. "Don't encourage the nerd, frog face."

"I-It wasn't a real date! We never agreed to get together!" I'm shouting over the sudden boom of chaos.

Everyone's gossiping and yelling cheers. Their eyes are all on me and Midoriya.  
Midoriya is trying to explain himself, very stiffly, and far too meekly to make anyone listen. Momo's getting swarmed, being asked about the validity of Mineta's description of the photo. Mineta is proudly twisting the details of the events of that day, in his favor. Aoyama appeared by his side, adding to his details of the seen photo. Ochaco is just standing there, sweat dripping from her forehead, brows twitching in a furrow. Everything's spiraling out of control again.

" _ **QUIET!**_ " I yell at the top of my lungs.

Everyone obeys immediately. While I'm still the center of their attention, I stand up and walk over to Midoriya. "Midoriya and I are NOT dating." I say clearly, tugging at his shoulder. He stands beside me and nods frantically to my statement. "Like I've said: We were set up for a date without our knowing, and ended up just going along with it. He and I are NOT together. We're still JUST friends. That's it. That's all there is to it."

"Then what was with the photo?" Mineta, I'm going to slap you blind.

"That photo was taken completely out of context! Momo, Mina, Jiro, Toru, and Kirishima can all attest that they walked into a really awkward moment between Midoriya and I, and just happened to take a picture at the wrong place, wrong time - or right place, right time, depending on who you ask. There really was nothing behind the context of that photo. It was just a really embarrassing pose that the two of us ended up in. It was just embarrassing to see it taken _that_ out of context."

"So we just jumped to conclusions." Ochaco has a creak in her voice.

"Y-Yup! There was nothing going on in that picture, or that date!" Midoriya's blushing hard. "We were just hanging out at the park as friends."

"That's exactly right. And it all got blown out of proportion, no thanks to me. So I apologize for riling everyone up again." I give a very deep bow. Midoriya mimics me and bows even further. "So, please, let's stop talking about this... Or they might suspend our phones for a few more weeks."  
That last line caused everyone to firmly nod in unison and slowly return to their previous conversations. The scandal between Midoriya and I was too fun for them to pass up, but they weren't willing to lose more time from their phones.  
After a short while, Midoriya and I lift ourselves back up from our bows and look at each other.

"I'm sorry about all that." Midoriya apologizes before I could.

I give him a strange look. "It was my fault to begin with. If I handled the misunderstanding better, people wouldn't get so riled up over nothing."

"Even if that's the case, I have as much responsibility in this. I messed up too."

An arm wraps around Midoriya's shoulder. "That's what a man should say, Midoriya. I'm proud of you." Kirishima says with a sagely nod.

"Oh shush, Kirishima. This was your fault too." I knock the side of his head with my tongue.

"What did I do?"

Before I could point out the obvious, Ochaco walked up to the three of us. Kirishima took this as his cue to go. Scratching the back of her head and laughing nervously, Ochaco exclaims, "That was a really big misunderstanding, huh?"

"Yeah." Midoriya nods frantically.

" _I'm kind of relieved..._ I mean, because, everyone would have kept teasing the two of you if Asui hadn't cleared it up." She twiddles her fingers together, showing her nervousness with what she wants to say next. "So you two just went on a friend date?"

"Yeah, just a friend date. We went to a restaurant and an amusement park. It was fun, but that's all it was. Just a fun and simple friend date." Midoriya seems to be stressing that phrase a little too much.

"Oh, that sounds fun. Just a friend date. Friend dates should be a thing." Now she's doing it too. "Then that means you two didn't end up doing anything crazy, right? Like, I dunno, k-kissing?"

I nearly swallow my tongue. I end up coughing too much that I can't answer her question.

"N-N-N-No! We never did such a thing!" Midoriya answers in a panic. _'Such a thing'_... He makes it sound like it's an absolutely forbidden act. Well, I suppose it is.

"That's good!" Ochaco smiles, before shaking her head. "Because first kisses are very important! You should only have it with someone you really like!"

"I agree!" Midoriya shouts in response.

The two of them are laughing terribly now - trying to mask their painfully obvious intentions. I'm pretty sure everyone in the class but them and Iida know that they have a crush on each other. Iida being Iida, I understand. But how the two of them can't see it in each other when it's always right in front of them, I don't get. Are they so low in their self-esteems that they can't even imagine the other liking them? I suppose that's why they work so well together. They're both really naive.

* * *

Time passes and the time to head home arrives. I'm beyond thankful, since I feel like I'm going to faint while standing. Tired. So tired. I'm going to sleep the instant I step into my room.

Or at least, I should.


	5. Mirage

The train heading home was delayed, but I made it here eventually, and safely. But now it's already dark out. I just want to sleep… This lethargy is killing me.  
I click my phone on to see if I got any texts while walking from the station. There's some from Mina and Toru - gossiping over a hot guy 'they just noticed' in one of the other classrooms. Vaguely looking through the rest of the windows, it looks like no one else sent me a message. That's to be expected these days... Though I wish he'd at least send me one. Maybe I can be the one to start after-school conversations.  
My thumb scrolls through my contacts, but accidentally swipes the window closed. Maybe that's a sign that I should just go to sleep. I flop down onto my bed and kick off my socks, letting my phone bounce beside me as I slip off my jacket and skirt. There's not enough fuel in my tank to get dressed in pajamas, so I don't bother trying to reach for them. My eyes begin to haze, and they involuntarily shut close. I guess I'll be sleeping in this awkward pose tonight.

The smooth surface of glass slides against the skin of my fingers. _Not this again. I need sleep._ My thumb scrapes a familiar pattern on its own. An audible 'click' confirms that it activated what it needed to. One of my eyelids winks open, and the blurry vision of my phone's main menu shines brightly into my iris. _I need to stop doing this._ Three swipes to the left, a click here, a press there, a drop-down menu, and... _There it is again._ I should be sleeping. But instead I'm doing what I've been doing for the past four nights in a row: staring into a picture that shouldn't be on my phone.  
To no one else's knowledge, I had saved this photo onto one of my private image board accounts. Something in me told me to upload it. Though I had nearly forgotten about this site since I had stopped storing images into it for over a year, I somehow remembered it just for this photo's sake. And seconds after I had saved it: we were called into the principal's office.  
Now the photo feels taboo just to own. And even worse when I look at it. What am I talking about? _Of course this is taboo._ What would my friends think if they found out that I still had this? What would my teachers? What would Midoriya?  
I bring the phone closer to my vision and hide myself beneath a blanket. It's something I really shouldn't have, and yet I treasure it. It's something I really shouldn't look at, yet I can't look away.

My eyes adjust to the dark-brightened screen and I see… Midoriya and I staring into each other's eyes. Our hands are placed against one another. The beautiful backdrop of the setting sun marks the time of this memory. Gazing closely, you can see a tired wrinkle in one of my eyes, from when I laughed so hard that I ended up crying - it was at one of his really lame jokes. They weren't funny, but the fact that he kept saying them so confidently was just too much for me. The top two buttons of his button-up black, sleeved shirt are unhooked - the first was from when I dared him to eat a spicy pepper off of one of my plates, the second from when he felt sick from one of the VR attractions. Gaze closer, and you can see that there's a small, almost impossible to tell, discoloration on the right leg of his dress pants - an ice cream stain from when we had that ice cream eating contest. Neither of us won that contest, and neither of us could move for a half-hour. On the ground beside my feet, there's a crushed-up, white can. It was the soda he drank right after our last try in that zombie game. He had tried to crumple it up and throw it into the bin, but he missed so many times. I bet him that I could throw it in there on my first try. I actually threw it behind the bin by accident, but from his angle: he saw it go in. He was cheering so hard for me that I couldn't bring myself to say that I missed too. And the crumpled thing followed us, blown by the wind, all the way up to that bench - as if to haunt me for lying.

There's a lot more details I could probably point out in this image. I've seen it more times than I care to mention. I've gazed and stared and studied it for so long that I should be ashamed of myself. And I am ashamed of myself. I have an unhealthy addiction to this picture, there's no denying that. And whenever I try to deny it, I end up staring into it once again. I feel as if I can't help myself - or maybe I can, but it feels as if I wouldn't ever want help from this problem.  
Is there anything to help? Is this really a problem? After all, I don't find anything wrong with this picture… Midoriya and I look amazing as a pair. And not just on the stunning-to-see surface. But also with the concept behind it - the shared story between the individual subjects of this scene.  
Midoriya Izuku, and Asui Tsuyu, classmates of a prestigious school, who had never given each other much notice. The few times they were paired together, they worked well together. And as time went on, and they grew closer through a series of dramatic circumstances, they started to notice each other - in times they're together, and in the moments they're apart. They noticed the way they spoke to one another - how different it was, how familiar it was. They recognized how each of them built the other up - complementing in what they excelled in, supporting in what they lacked. They noticed how, during their date and afterwards, they repeatedly shattered each other's facades - finding the true persons beneath the everyday speeches and smiles. Every event, every item, every word between them led towards a single, obvious conclusion that neither of them had ever realized: the two were perfect for each other.  
If they had only noticed this sooner, then maybe… No, they knew it now. On this bench, in front of each other. This moment, this opportunity, was their chance to take hold of something they had been missing in their lives. With their hands pressed together, and their eyes falling deep into each other's gazes… they could admit to themselves, to each other, that… _that…_

I'm pathetic. Even though I've done this several times already, I still can't believe how low I go, and how much lower I go with every turn at this activity. I make up silly stories that lead up to this scene, and imagine ridiculous scenarios of what would happen soon afterwards. It's what middle schoolers do with their favorite shows and comics, except I'm getting too old for this fantasizing - and the people in this photo are very real, not belonging to some inconsequential fictions. I'm one of these people, for crying out loud! And the other one is a great friend of mine!  
I'm worse than pathetic, for throwing someone else into my childish imaginations behind their back. I'm perverse, for preferring this fantasy every night rather than accepting the reality in front of me every day.

Except… this isn't entirely fantasy, is it? Even though this photo is taken completely out of context, the 'imagined 'context actually does exist. Midoriya and I _have_ worked very well together when we were paired for assignments. He and I _have_ started to notice each other more since our date. He and I _do_ complement and support each other. The only thing false in this photograph, and in my imaginations, is the true relationship between us.  
Midoriya and I are just friends. And we're perfectly fine with that. At least, I am.  
Maybe, somewhere deep, deep down, me wanting something more between us is really how I feel. But I don't show it outwardly, nor do I feel it well up inside me. And when I see him in person, I don't express or think this at all. My heart doesn't skip a beat when I'm next to him. My heart doesn't wrench when Ochaco makes him blush. My heart doesn't feel empty knowing that we're nothing more than friends. It's content. I'm content.  
But the possibility is still there, no matter how I feel towards it. It slaps me hard in the face whenever I look at this image. Taboo, scandalous, forbidden, fictional, delusional - whatever you claim the idea to be, it is a very real possibility. It's tangible, obtainable, and open. All I have to do is reach out for it.

Midoriya's single. I have a chance.  
But why should I take it if I don't care to hold it?

I mean, yes, we'd be great for each other. Midoriya needs someone with common sense to balance out his extremes. And I'd benefit a lot from being with someone so charismatic. But he and I honestly aren't looking at each other to fill in those roles. We're friends. Close friends. Maybe, as time goes on, we'll be best friends. I can see that. And I don't need anything closer than that.  
The Midoriya in this picture, the me in this picture, are completely different than the two out here in reality. We don't have these kind of feelings for each other. Regardless of my constant imaginations and fascination with the false scenario of this photo - I don't actually want to act it out in my life. And I doubt Midoriya would actively want to either. We have our own lives and dreams we're trying to reach - and they don't require us tying an optional knot between us.  
My daydreams are all just pretend. They're just ideas I'm fascinated with right now. They'll come and go eventually. Even if they're heavily inspired by reality, there's no need for it to be the other way around.  
It shouldn't matter so much that the possibility exists. Millions of others do too. Millions of others I never took, and have no regrets over it. This particular one doesn't need special attention. It doesn't need space in my mind to think over it - nor time in my life to worry over it.  
And yet I do. Every night I do. With this photo in hand, saved and locked away, I remind myself again and again that the chance was right there in front of me - and that it's still within reach.

Even though I hate myself for doing it, I can't help but put myself through this again and again, tonight, tomorrow night, and as many nights it takes… because…

It's such a beautiful lie.


	6. Together

Multiple shots tear away the manhole cover from my grip. I leap into the alleyway, where the 'ping' 'pang' sounds of ricocheting projectiles pound against our cover. Several more shots scrape against it, while some blast onto the wall across from us. A few of them bounce off entirely and zig-zag down the alley. Mineta's screaming. My tongue lashes out and tosses him inside an open dumpster. I cling my fingers onto the broken bricks of the wall, leaping upwards and away from the trajectory of the bullets.  
After some time, the gunfire halts - and resumes further in the distance. For now, we're not the targets.

"Mineta, now's our chance. We'll go around this building and make our way into one of the highrises. We'll get a better vantage point at its top while avoiding his line of fire."

"No way!" he screeches at me, "We'll never make it! Jiro and Sato tried going down that way and now they're dead!"

I smack the side of his head. "Stop exaggerating. This is just a training exercise."

"He has a machine gun!"

"It's shooting rubber bullets. It won't kill you."

"What if it goes through my eye and brain?"

"Why do you think we're wearing safety goggles?"

"It'll still hurt like hell!"

"That's the point, don't you think? This is to make sure we do our best to avoid getting hit." I lift him out of the dumpster and pat away the banana peels stuck to his clothes... Wait, were these dumpsters used? I thought this place was filled with just empty props.

" _ **GYAAAA!**_ " Mineta's screams bring me back to the situation at hand. A bullet flew into the alley and knocked a grape ball out of his hair. " _ **HE'S GOING TO KILL US!**_ "

I cover his mouth. "Stop yelling. We need to get around without him noticing."

The little grape-head pulls my hand off of him. "That's not happening. I'm not going to get my jewels shot off from such a stupid plan."

"Do you have a better plan?"

"Yeah." He climbs back into the dumpster. "Hide in here until he runs out of bullets."

"We're on a timer, Mineta."

"Then let someone else complete the exercise! Only one pair needs to escort the hostage out successfully, right? We're not the only team left, you know."

"Why do you always have to be a coward?"

"Because I'm smart enough to know when to call it quits. If every unqualified hero went out there, sacrificing themselves willy-nilly, when someone better for the job could have done it themselves, then we'd be all out of heroes and the villains win."

"That's a rational thought."

"Yeah, it is. So get in the dumpster with me."

I grab one side of the large, metal bin and begin pushing.

"What are you doing?" Mineta asks as he peeks at me from the bin's opening.

"Putting your words into practice."

His head pops out of the dumpster's top and looks around. He quickly dives back in. "WHY ARE YOU PUSHING US TOWARDS HIM?"

"Because this is the job we're better suited for." I say as I plant my feet on the dumpster's side and grip my hands to the floor. "Mineta, you may want to coat the inside with your hair. This is going to get rough."

" _ **WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME?**_ " Mineta wails loudly. The 'thump'ing sounds inside the bin at least shows that he's following my suggestion.

"Time to be the distraction!" With one hard kick of my legs, I launch the dumpster down the road - watching its contents spill from the top. It rumbles violently across the broken asphalt, screeching and clunking loudly with every bump it hits. Some of the screeching is coming from its sole passenger. In seconds, the dumpster is lit up with ricocheting gunfire. "He took the bait."

Mr. Aizawa leaps around a far corner of the street, launching bands of his scarf to intercept the dumpster. Whether or not he knows that the person inside is just a distraction, he has to immobilize them at all costs. If the dumpster actually makes it to the end of the street, and its passenger makes it out in one piece: then they'll be right where the hostage is.  
As his role as the villain in this exercise, Mr. Aizawa can't risk that. Tearing away the tops of the dumpster, he slowly points his weapon into the opening and gestures for the person inside to come out. Mineta crawls out, shaking.  
If Mineta is shot at least once, or surrenders, then he's out. And if he's out: I'm out. Students can only succeed in this test as a paired team. If one fails, both fail: the mission objective requires both teammates present for its completion. In other words... I just gave up my chances of passing this test. But I knew this would happen.

I sacrificed my win, so that he could have a clear shot.

" **SMAAAASH!** "  
The air surrounding the dumpster bursts into a sonic boom. Chunks of asphalt and other debris fly out in every direction, leaving behind only large clouds of dust.  
High above the ground, floating at the peak heights of the highrises, Midoriya Izuku could be seen - holding out his arm and looking pretty cool.

I had a feeling he would be waiting up there. During a phone call we had two days ago, Midoriya mentioned that Mr. Aizawa, also known as the hero 'Eraserhead', always had the upper hand in battles where he had a clear line of sight - whether that meant fighting in an open field, or at a higher vantage point than his opponents. If you could remove either of those from him, then you would cut his Quirk's effectiveness in half. At least, that's what Midoriya theorized.  
With that conversation still fresh in my memory, I figured that Midoriya would stick his team to the inside of buildings, the shadows of alleyways, or the tops of buildings for this test's settings. I ruled out the first option since Midoriya said his Quirk becomes a hazard for others indoors. The alleyways were next on the list - and it was where I spent a majority of my time searching for him. However, Tokoyami and Iida were the only other people I found in the alleys - and they politely declined joining our group. This left the tops of buildings as my last guess for where Midoriya's team would be hiding. And if I couldn't make it to him from where I was, then I could at least make his target easier to hit from up there.  
He, Bakugo, and Todoroki are the strongest aggressive fighters in our class. If anyone could take on 'Eraserhead' in this time-limited scenario, it had to be one of them. So our best bet at passing this test was to act as one of their supports. These days, I'm a little biased in which of them I'd lend my help to.

"ASUI! YOU JERK! LET ME GRAB YOUR BOOBS!" Mineta ruins the auspicious moment with his childish wailing. He came out of the smoke clouds, running towards me and crying.

"Glad to see you're safe."

"NO THANKS TO YOU!"

"Did you get shot?"

He sniffles. " _No._ "

"Did you surrender?"

"I didn't get a chance to! Midoriya blew me up before I could say anything!"

"That's good news, then."

He tries to grab my chest when I look away from him. But I've gotten used to him. I swiftly kick him down. "Quit that. We still have a job to do. Speaking of which... You were the closest one to the hostage, why didn't you go over there to grab her?"

"Because the teach picked up the hostage and ran."

My eyes widen. "He's still moving?!"

A magazine of gunshots is heard. Blowing holes through the smoke, a spray of bullets fly up towards Midoriya - who's still floating from where he had made his aerial strike.  
Wait... he's floating? Ochaco, you ditz!

"Come on! We have to back them up!" I yell at Mineta.

He looks at me defiantly and yells back, "No way! I'm not going back in there! I'm going to find another dumpster and hide! One that you can't push around!" I would argue back, but he's already stomping away. I don't have time to argue. And I'll only slow myself down if I try dragging him with me. So I guess I'm doing this myself.

I crouch down and leap towards a canopy. With a hard press, I hop off of that onto an emergency stairway. I bounce up to its next level, and the level after that - clearing seven floors before I run out of easy platforms. I can climb up the walls, but that would take me too much time. I twist around and spot a small, open window down the street. It's a stretch, but I kick as hard as I can and barely land it with a hard grip. I nearly slip off the dust-marked sill when I see someone crouched at the window's opening.

"Tsuyu!" she calls out to me in surprise.

"Momo?" I call back with a tilt of my head. Beside her is the large figure of Shoji - slightly concealed in the room's shadows. "Shoji." I greet. He nods my way. Looking around, I notice several cartridges and patterned cylinders lying on the floor. At second glance, I realize that I've seen this sort of thing in an American movie before. "You're making a gun, Momo?"

"An M24 SWS, to be a bit more exact." she says casually. Her hands are working fast, putting one piece over another and sliding them together. "I had to form these piece by piece since it would take too long to create it in its finished state."

"You know how to use one of those things?"

"No... But I'm thankful that Shoji was paired with me for this. He's a sharpshooter."

Shoji uses one of his arms to cover his already-covered face. "I've only used one in a shooting range. I've never actually used a live one in a battle situation."

"That's good enough for me." Momo gives him a confidence-building smile. "If you can just shoot around Mr. Aizawa's feet: that should force him back from his escape route. Then it will be easier for the others to secure the hostage. And, don't worry, the bullets I'm making aren't lethal - so feel free to hit Mr. Aizawa with them."

"R-Right..."  
I feel bad for Shoji. The nervousness in his voice shows that he's exaggerating his actual experience with the gun. Most guys his age get a lot of their 'gun experience' in video games. I wonder if he's the same. Though, I really don't have the time to wonder any more than I have.

"Momo, can you make me something I can throw?"

"Like what?"

"Something that can blind would be helpful."

"That could take me a few minutes."

"It can be something really simple."

"Simple... simple... Ah. Here." She tosses me a small pouch. "It's just sand, but -"

"That works. Thanks Momo!" I turn away from them and return my focus to where I saw Midoriya last.  
He's not up in the sky anymore. Below, the smoke of the earlier explosion had already dissipated. Eraserhead is gone as well. Nearby gunfire makes my neck crack as I snap my attention towards the sound: coming from a rooftop just a few meters away.  
There he is. Midoriya is leaping from one building to the next, with Ochaco in his arms. Bullets zip past him while he moves between varying obstacles - consisting mostly of large cooling units and billboards. He won't be able to keep that up for much longer, since the buildings ahead of him have little to no objects on their roofs.  
I have to reach him before he runs out of cover.

Leaping from the window, I scramble onto the top of a smaller building and use its billboards to jump up to my next building-top. I'm getting closer. A jump. Then another leap. Two quick hops. A quick climb up one floor. Now I'm at the same level as them. But there's still a large gap between our buildings - one that I can't leap without risking getting shot.  
My eyes follow the source of the still-barking gunfire - and I find Eraserhead running towards Midoriya. The hostage is tied to his back. He's definitely on the attack now. But why would he risk losing his own objective by going this far from the escape route? Isn't that breaking his role as the villain?  
Wait. If he's taking his hostage with him... Then...  
I turn to see where Midoriya and Ochaco are heading... They're not running away from Mr. Aizawa. They're running towards his new escape route. They're trying to get rid of it! A helicopter is hovering a few buildings away. It must have changed its initial pick up point after Midoriya's earlier attack compromised it. If it's forced to retreat any further - then Mr. Aizawa won't be able to leave with the hostage - which should remove our time limit for this task!  
But if Midoriya's aiming after the helicopter from here, then that means he's already given up on securing the hostage himself. He can't possibly attack the helicopter without placing himself in Mr. Aizawa's line of fire. Midoriya's sacrificing his win so someone else can.

But if everyone here's sacrificing their wins so someone else succeeds, then there'd be no heroes left and the villain wins. Darn you Mineta for always ending up right.

"Deku! Now!" Ochaco yells.

"Go!" Midoriya straightens his back, twists slightly, then flings Ochaco towards the helicopter.  
Uraraka soars through the air, darting towards the black and blue vehicle. No bullets fly after her - as they could damage the villain's only getaway. Her body slams into the helicopter and almost slides off. The next second, the helicopter rises higher into the sky - and continues to ascend until it flies out of view.  
Eraserhead's only way out has been removed. All that's left is for us to leave with the hostage.  
Shouts and roars are heard back at roof-level. Midoriya is trying to fight Eraserhead alone, with his bare fists. The only reason why Uraraka's attack on the helicopter worked was because Eraserhead's attention was below her. If Mr. Aizawa attempted to cancel Uraraka's powers mid-flight, then Midoriya would have been able to blow him away with his Quirk. Instead, the Quirk-nullifying effect was focused on him, and prevented him from a surprise attack.  
And it's preventing him from a frontal attack. Without his powers, Midoriya is only a well-trained boy. Facing against a Pro with years of battle experience, he won't stand a chance.

Mr. Aizawa knocks Midoriya away with the butt of his gun, then follows up with his scarf - wrapping bands of it around Midoriya's neck and wrist, before slamming him onto the ground. "Give it up. You've already lost this fight. Your partner's out of bounds, so you're already disqualified."

" _You... You don't know that._ " Midoriya coughs out as the scarf wraps tighter around his neck.

"Neither do you. So then you should be trying to confirm her safety."

" _She'll... be... fine!_ "

"Sadly, you won't be." Before Eraserhead could give his scarf one more tug, he loses his footing and staggers sideways. "Wh-What?" His goggles are flung away from his eyes, causing him to wince from the flare of sunlight.

My landing is rough, but I made it just in time. "Midoriya!" I yell.

"Thanks! Asui!" Midoriya breaks through his bindings in an instant and charges for Eraserhead. The villain forces his eyes wide open and cancels Midoriya's upcoming strike. He doesn't falter, following through with a few hard punches against Mr. Aizawa's stomach, arms, and chin.  
The strikes stunned him and knocked the gun out of his hands... but it wasn't enough to make him blink. Mr. Aizawa rolls Midoriya into several layers of his scarf then slams him back to the floor. He pushes aside a kick from me and catches me by my hair. He pulls hard.

So I pull hard. My tongue is wrapped tightly around his knee, forcing him into another stagger.  
Midoriya breaks away yet again, but is kicked back down immediately.  
Eraserhead wraps bands of his scarf around my tongue and slides it quickly off his knee. He should have wrapped it around my neck instead.  
I force my stomach to regurgitate, and hack up a small pouch. With my digestive fluids having already weakened its fabric, the pouch rips open and explodes against Mr. Aizawa's eyes. He cries out in pain and annoyance.  
Midoriya's back up, and from his expression: I know what's coming next. I clamp my feet around Aizawa's hips, and wrap my hands around the hostage's elbows. With one hard kick of my feet, I simultaneously pull the hostage free from Eraserhead's back, while launching him towards Midoriya.

"Delaware! SMASH!"  
An explosion of air sucks out all the sound from my ears. The vacuum lifts me off my feet and hands. Just as I'm about to be pulled along with it, Midoriya grabs me by the ankle and swings me toward his grasp. My goggles fly off with the bursting wind - as does one of my boots.

In the distance, I can see Mr. Aizawa's figure being flung further and further away. My worry of him not surviving the fall is put at ease, as he flips himself right-side-up and uses his scarf to secure his landing.  
Pros really are something else.

A few seconds pass in relieved silence. Then I suddenly realize the position I'm in. " _Um, Midoriya…_ "

"Yeah?"

"You really like carrying me like this, huh?"

Midoriya looks down at me, soon noticing that I'm scooped up in his arms, princess-style. " **AH!** " His face changes to a familiar shade of red - that cartoon tomato red. He's about to let me go, but I stop him by quickly grabbing onto his shirt.

"Wait."

"E-Eh?"

I pull a phone from my back pocket and hold it out in front of us. With a succession of screen taps, I take around five or six photos of us. "There." I swing myself out of his grip and begin looking through the photos.

" **EH?** " His face is redder than before. I didn't know that was possible.

"We need more pictures together. We only have the ones from the photo booth, and that one from lunch." I say as an excuse. Telling him the actual reason would give him a heart attack. I put away my phone and pick up the hostage... which is just a female-shaped mannequin with the word 'HOSTAGE' written across its chest. I drop it into Midoriya's arms. "There, you can carry _this_ princess."

His face is glowing in its red this time. I'm afraid he might explode. Before he could, he shakes his head, possibly to clear his thoughts - though he can't seem to clear the redness in his cheeks. "Right. We need to get this to the exit before Mr. Aizawa recovers." he assesses calmly.

I disagree calmly. "No, you and Uraraka need to get it to the exit. Only one team needs to clear this test in order for all of us to pass. But you and I can't be the ones to do it, since we're not in a team."

"Okay, but it might take me a while to find her, so then would you and Mineta want to bring it in?"

"Mineta's hiding right now - so it might take longer for me. Besides, Eraserhead can't cancel out my Quirks. I'm better suited for keeping him busy."

"But wouldn't it be easier if -" A loud shot echoes throughout the faux-city. Midoriya looks at the ground across from us, confirming that the villain's gun is still here. "Did he have two guns?"

"No." I look at the buildings down the street. A shadow backs away from one of the small windows. "That shot came from Momo. Her and Shoji are keeping Mr. Aizawa back."

"So they're still around." Midoriya sighs in relief. "It's nice to know we're not the only ones left."

"I saw Tokoyami and Iida earlier."

"Iida was shot in an alleyway. They're out."

"How about Bakugo's team? Or Todoroki's?"

"Todoroki was teamed with Aoyama - and Aoyama was shot early on. Bakugo was with Ashido, but I saw them leaving like they had already been hit. Ojiro's out. Sero and Koda are out. Though I haven't seen Kaminari, Kirishima, Hagakure, Jiro, or Sato. One of them had to be Ojiro's partner. Though I don't know what happened with the other four… Did I say something funny?"

"Huh?"

"You're smiling at me."

I am? " _Oh…_ " I calm my lips a bit. "I'm just impressed that you were able to see all of this while the rest of us were running around blindly."

"I was watching you guys while I was going up the building. But I couldn't make a move until you and Mineta pulled that stunt."

"And you nearly got your head blown off too." I punch his shoulder. "What were you thinking - using Uraraka's Quirk to float you around like that? You were an easy target. It would've been smarter to strike him from the rooftop's ledge."

"I couldn't get a clear shot from the ledge…"

I sigh, then stretch my legs. "Well I don't have time to keep lecturing you. Momo needs my help. I'll see if I can find Mineta and force him to help us too. You have to go and find Uraraka." My left foot is cold. Hopefully I run into my lost boot down there.

"Okay. And Tsuyu?"

"Hm?"

"Thank you. You saved me."

My cheeks hurt. "Go already."

Midoriya flashes me a thumbs-up then leaps off the building.  
I look over the ledge to watch him go. He's already made it past two streets by the time I spot him. Looking around, no one else is within my immediate proximity. Momo and Shoji seem to have moved into another building, as I hear their rifle's shots further away than before. Mineta's scream is heard too. I hope they didn't accidentally shoot him. A few blocks down, Kaminari and Kirishima are running towards the sound of the gunfire - they look to have been lost this entire time. Knowing that Momo has some back up heading her way relieves me.  
Now I don't have to rush.

My thumb slides a memorized pattern, and my phone 'click's off its lock screen. The window I had opened last reloads itself - with the picture of Midoriya carrying me in his arms. Our pose is hardly a thing of beauty, especially when you notice just how dirtied and ragged we look. But what it lacks in romance, it makes up for in its character and… _cuteness!_ It's such a cute picture! Yay!  
I let out an excited _'kero!_ ' I'm very pleased with how this photo turned out. We genuinely look like one of those hero couples! The kinds you see every now and then in the articles of those Quirk magazines. Roughed up and bruised, but still smiling or laughing together. Those kind of pictures are always so cute and awesome to look at. I never imagined myself being in a photo like it.  
Breathing out a long sigh, my body sinks down to the floor in relief and satisfaction. The sky is in my view now - my head tilted back, leaning myself on the building's inner-ledge. I slide my hand onto my face, pushing strands of hair to the back of my ears, and covering the sun's light from my eyes.  
In my mind, I can see Midoriya's face - his shining eyes - his cheerful grin - his serious frown – his bare back - his half-clothed shoulders and neck - his cloth-torn chest - his half-sleeved arms, all images pooled from glancing memories of the times I've seen him… in class, during practical exams… _other places_. These features of his are practically memorized by now.  
It's still embarrassing to admit it to myself, but I've grown to find them attractive. I've grown to find him attractive. And even more embarrassing is the fact that I've definitely grown feelings for him...

This is no longer just a harmless daydream. When did I stop playing pretend and actually fall for him?

What a mess.  
I swipe my finger, and look through the other photos I've taken of him.


	7. Cute

"Hey, Midoriya, do you think I'm cute?"

"What did… _Wait…_ WHAT?!"

Midoriya drops his chopsticks onto his lap, staining the fabric of his pants with spots of mustard mayonnaise. Ochaco dropped her chopsticks as well, though hers rolled onto the floor. Iida isn't fazed, and continues to eat from his bento... though the prolonged silence finally gets his attention.  
Iida looks up at the stunned faces of Midoriya and Ochaco. He's not entirely sure why they each reacted in such an extreme way. Clearing his throat, he comments, "I believe she's asking what your opinion of her is, Midoriya. As peers, it's only natural for us to be curious over what perceptions our classmates have of us. Though I'd never be so bold as to request that direct of an analysis. Good for you, Asui."

"Call me Tsuyu."

"I believe it's rude to call a person of the opposite gender by their given name, Asui. Unless, of course, they were your spouse."

"'Asui' sounds weird to me."

"One shouldn't be ashamed of their family name."

"My family doesn't call me 'Asui'."

"Well, yes, they are your family so they are entitled to -"

"Hey, Midoriya." I poke at him. Iida looks shocked to have been ignored so quickly. It's strange that he's not used to my way of switching subjects yet. I poke at Midoriya again. "Midoriya."

Midoriya snaps out of whatever world he was in and looks at me. "Y-Yes, Asui?"

"It's Tsuyu. Stop forgetting to call me that just because you're nervous."

"O-Okay, _T-Tsuyu_."

Ochaco had a shocked expression earlier, but now she's looking at me with a slight glare. Before, I would have easily respected 'her space' with Midoriya, and kept this kind of interaction with him out of her view. But now, I don't really care to hold myself back around her - or anyone, really. I've hung out with Midoriya for long enough to be more personal with him. She should be the same with him, if not moreso. It's her loss for not taking the initiative.

I point at my face and ask him again, "Do you think I'm cute?"

"Wh-Why are you asking me this?"

"Ochaco." I turn my attention to her.

"Yes?" Her glare quickly turns into a friendly glance. That's scary.

"Wouldn't you want to know if Midoriya thinks you're cute?"

Both of their faces turn to their brightest reds. Ochaco quickly scoots herself away. "I - I - _I - I -_ "

"Midoriya."

" _ **YES?**_ " he nearly screams in panic.

"Answer my question."

"W-Well, what do you mean by 'cute'? I mean, there's so many -"

"Do you find me attractive in any way. That's what I mean by 'cute'."

Midoriya suddenly looks over my shoulder. Shoot.  
" _Hey, Midoriya boy._ " I can hear All-Might's whispering from behind me.

Midoriya quickly packs up his lunch and apologizes to us. "I'm sorry! Something just came up!"  
And there he goes. Disappearing around the corner. Being pulled away at the most convenient, or inconvenient, time. All-Might needs to stop doing this during our lunch breaks.

The atmosphere left behind is really awkward. Ochaco is flustered, eating out of her bento with a fork - in silence. Iida is looking down at his lap - not saying a word. Without Midoriya, the conversation I had pushed is dead, and now all we're left with are the after-effects of what I had said.  
Ochaco's upset with my questions. Iida's probably upset with how I cut him off. I'm generally considered their friend, but I don't converse with them often enough to be considered close. My relationship with them during these more personal times is exclusively attached to Midoriya. If he's not around, then they're not obligated to be chummy with me - especially after what I just did.  
I'm not ashamed of what I did. But I do feel a little embarrassed to be singled out now.

"I think you're cute." Ochaco blurts out. Though she had said it towards me, she's still staring down at her bento box.

I blink. Ochaco's been known to be kind and sweet to others, but I never really experienced it first-hand. To think she would try to make me feel less alienated with that response... I smile. "Thanks. I think you're cute too, Ochaco."

Iida sits up and faces us. "I believe that you, Uraraka, are cute like a doting grandmother. And I believe that you, Asui, are cute like a childhood mascot."

Both Uraraka and I stare back at him, unsure what to make of what he just said. I know they were meant to be compliments, but... "Childhood mascot?"

"Doting grandmother?" Ochaco scratches the back of her head. "Do I look that old?"

"What exactly am I a mascot of?" I point at my face.

Iida's body stiffens as he gives a machine-like bow. "I'm sorry if I offended anyone! That wasn't my intention!"

Ochaco and I look at each other, then laugh.

Iida looks up at us in confusion. He points to himself. "Am I cute?"

Ochaco and I burst in our laughter.


	8. Texting

" _ **Uraraka Ochaco  
Mobile**_"

* * *

 ** _Ura_** [Ty for letting me borrow your notes, Asui. Again. (o'u'o;) heheh]

 _ **Asu**_ [no problem. iida is too stingy with his ntes]  
\- [*notes]  
\- [call my Tsuyu]  
\- [*me]

 _ **Ura**_ [ \\(0' o '0)/ Yes, yes, Tsuyu!]

(Yesterday 12:10 PM)

* * *

 _ **Ura**_ [You have his attntion a lot.]

(Yesterday 03:02 PM)

* * *

 _ **Asu**_ [?]

(Yesterday 03:40 PM)

* * *

 _ **Ura**_ [It's nothing. ( 'n' \;;)]

(Yesterday 04:01 PM)

* * *

 _ **Ura**_ [Can I ask you a question.]

(Yesterday 07:13 PM)

* * *

 ** _Asu_** [?]

(Yesterday 10:01 PM)

* * *

 _ **Ura**_ [Do you like Midoriya?]

 _ **Asu**_ [yes]

(Yesterday 10:35 PM)

* * *

 _ **Ura**_ [I mean like-like. Like like-like-like. (#'u'#;;)]

 _ **Asu**_ [yes]

 _ **Ura**_ [As in, wanting to date him? (#^u^#;;;)]

 _ **Asu**_ [yes] _ **  
**_\- [i'm interested in him]

(Yesterday 11:01 PM)

* * *

 _ **Ura**_ [Since when?]

 _ **Asu**_ [maybe the day after that date]  
\- [maybe a week after it]  
\- [for sure around last week]

(Yesterday 11:22 PM)

* * *

 _ **Ura**_ [So that's why you flirt with him during lunch?]

 _ **Asu**_ [im asking him serious questions]

 _ **Ura**_ [It looks like flirting.]

 _ **Asu**_ [i genuinely mean my questions]

 _ **Ura**_ ["Are you interested in having kids" is a serious question?]

 _ **Asu**_ [shouldnt it be?]

 _ **Ura**_ [We shouldn't be thinking about having kids this early.]

 _ **Asu**_ [having kids is serious]  
\- [it should be considrd years ahead of time]  
\- [*considered]

 _ **Ura**_ [And you're confident he wants to do… that kind of stuff with you?]

 _ **Asu**_ [that wasn't what i asked]  
\- [i asked if he wanted children]  
\- [i never said with me]  
\- [just in general]

 _ **Ura**_ [Why would you ask that unless you meant it'd be your children?]

 _ **Asu**_ [i dont know if he's interested in me]  
\- [but i still want to know if he wants kids]  
\- [whoever he gets with]  
\- [if he wants to get with anyone]

 _ **Ura**_ [Shouldn't you ask him if he's interested in you first?]

 ** _Asu_** [youre wondering why i havent asked him out yet]  
\- [yes?]

 _ **Ura**_ [I do wonder about that. But I'm more wondering why you're pressing  
him in these things if you haven't even asked him out yet? What good  
would it do? Why would you want to ask him such blunt and serious  
questions when you know he's not ready to answer any of them?]

 _ **Asu**_ [Ochaco. i am blunt. i dont dance around in conversations.]  
\- [and all your questions mean the same thing]  
\- [youre wondering why i haven't asked him out yet]  
\- [yes?]

 _ **Ura**_ [Fine. Yes, that really confuses me.]

 _ **Asu**_ [i'll only answer that if you answer my question first]

 _ **Ura**_ [What's your question?]

 _ **Asu**_ [why havent you asked him out yet?]

(12:39 AM)

* * *

 _ **Ura**_ [I'm scared he'll say 'No'.]

 _ **Asu**_ [Midoriya likes you]

 _ **Ura**_ [What are you saying? He likes you!]

 _ **Asu**_ [he's shy around me because im a girl]  
\- [and because i ask very direct questions]  
\- [but he's shy around you all the time]

 _ **Ura**_ [Why are you telling me this?]

 _ **Asu**_ [because im scared too]  
\- [because he looks at you so much i'm confident he'll tell me 'no']  
\- [he would say 'yes' to you if you just ask]  
-[i would rather you just ask him out so neither of us have to deal with the  
drama]

 _ **Ura**_ [Is that really the reason?]

 _ **Asu**_ [i dont want to hear him tell me 'no']  
\- [it would hurt me]  
\- [but I also dont want him to hurt himself by telling me 'no']  
\- [he'd hate himself for doing it]

 _ **Ura**_ [You really care about him...]  
\- [I feel really selfish now. I never thought about how he would feel if he had  
to tell me 'no'. I just kept worrying over the awkwardness between us after  
that… Your reason is a lot less heartless than mine. I think you deserve him.  
I wish you'd just ask him already. And I hope]  
\- [I hope he'd say 'yes' to you.]

 _ **Asu**_ [thats not what it sounded like at the start of this conversation]  
\- [it sounded like you were interrogating me]

 _ **Ura**_ [ (;;/#'n'#) I'm sorry. I was really frustrated.]

 _ **Asu**_ [because you like him]

 _ **Ura**_ [ (#/ n \\#;;) AAH! That's too forward for me to admit.]

 _ **Asu**_ [you already admitted that you wanted to ask him out]

 _ **Ura**_ [ (;0 'n'0) Some girls ask guys out even if they don't like them.]

 _ **Asu**_ [really? then why bother asking them out?]

 _ **Ura**_ [For their body.]

 _ **Asu** _[Midoriya does have a nice body]

 _ **Ura**_ [ (### /A \\####;;;) AAAH! I can't believe you can say that so openly!]

 _ **Asu**_ [its true though]

 _ **Ura**_ [ (; 'n' )/ Um... Is that why you like him?]

 _ **Asu** _[one of the reasons]

 _ **Ura**_ [ (## 'A'#)33 SHOCK]

 _ **Asu**_ [i also like how he smiles]  
\- [and how he jokes with me]  
\- [and how i can speak freely around him and he'd take everything i say  
seriously]  
\- [and how it feels safe around him when he stands next to me]  
\- [and how i know im able to help him when he really needs it]  
\- [i really like his genuine gratitude]  
\- [i really like feeling useful to him]  
\- [that sounds weird, but it's the only way I know how to put it]  
\- [i really like that he's considerate and kind]  
\- [and even naïve. i think it makes him more honest]  
\- [i really like how hes honest]  
\- [and he's clever and brave to boot]  
\- [i dont like how much he hurts himself to get things done, but i respect  
that he gives it his all. i love his passion and his determination. i want him  
to stay that way. so i always want to be there for him and look after him  
so he can keep being those things without having to hurt himself]  
\- [i'm sure there will be more things about him i wont like initially]  
\- [but i want to experience them first, and find a way to balance them too]  
\- [because i know he wont like a lot of parts of me too, and i want him to  
do the same for me. i really want him to be my balance]

(02:00 AM)

* * *

 _ **Ura**_ [ ( '.' ) You really thought this through... You're so much more mature  
than me with how you look at him. I really am not worthy. (# /n\ #)]  
\- [That settles it. I want you \\(0 'A'0)=o to be the one to end up with Deku.  
And no one else. You have my full support!]

 _ **Asu**_ [ (. . ) thanks]

 _ **Ura**_ [ ( '/\' )33 GASP! You use emotes!]

 ** _Asu_** [but i still want you to try getting with him]  
\- [i want him to choose who he wants to be with]  
\- [and i think you're really suited for Midoriya]

 _ **Ura**_ [ (;;/ 'A' )/ Eh? What's this? Cold feet?]

 _ **Asu**_ [no. i always thought this was the case]  
\- [i never wanted you to stop trying just because i showed up]  
\- [in fact it always annoyed me that you weren't trying your best despite  
having been around him for this long]  
\- [he wouldve said 'yes' to you at any time]  
\- [i dont need the handicap. i still want you to try your hardest. i want you to  
confess to him. soon, later, whichever. and if he chooses you, then that's fine]

 _ **Ura**_ [ (#'n'#;;) I can't guarantee anything.]

 _ **Asu** _[that means youre going to chicken out the last second]

 _ **Ura**_ [ (#/m \\#;;) I said I can't guarantee anything!]

 _ **Asu** _[then i'll tell him]

 _ **Ura**_ [Eh? Tell him what?]

 _ **Asu**_ [that you like him]

 _ **Ura**_ [ (#'M'#)33 That's not funny, Tsuyu.]

(02:34 AM)

* * *

 _ **Ura**_ [ (;;0 '-' 0) Tsuyu?]

(02:50 AM)

* * *

 _ **Ura**_ [ (;;;;##0A0#)/ TSUYU NO]

(03:10 AM)


	9. Midoriya

A clamor of voices and footsteps begins to unravel down the halls. Names are being called out, lockers are opening and closing. Faint echoes of laughter and friendly yells bounce away from every corner that passersby claim. It's an exciting and relieving array of sounds. You can tell everyone's happy, or at least thrilled about something. These feelings are communicated and then passed on between the scurrying peoples - filling up the air, and riling the students' already shaken emotions to a peaking satisfaction. It's the ever-familiar atmosphere of a school day's end. And it's something that you would never notice if you were a part of it.  
But for someone like me, who's rolling his forehead repeatedly on the bottom-side of a staircase, with a sickening feeling of dread churning in his stomach: This atmosphere is unbearably apparent. It's more of a burden for me, really. I feel like I could be utterly crushed under its presence, or be torn apart by its pressure. The extra stimulation exuding from the cheerful crowds is the last thing I need right now.

"What should I do?" I cry out, "What do I tell them? What can I tell them? They can't expect me to respond to any of this rationally! Oh my goodness… It's almost like they're playing a horrible practical joke on me and I'm completely missing out on the punch line. Maybe it is a joke! Is that worse for me than if it was serious? Or is it better? If I knew that Uraraka was making light of a subject like that, then I'd probably die. But if it's just Asui's idea of a joke, then… Well, that's not too out of the ordinary. She already teases me every day. But is it just a tease? Is it something I'm supposed to play along with until I find out? What if I never find out? I'm actually more scared over what happens when I do find out in either case! AAAAH- I don't know what to do! Where should I even start?!"

"Why are you asking me?"

"Because… maybe you can give me some tips for this?"

"What makes you think I'd know any better?"

"You at least have more experience with girls than I do…"

Todoroki looks away from his book and stares at me with a raised brow. "I've only had experience in rejecting them, Midoriya. I haven't exactly been stable enough for a relationship."

" _Oh, that makes sense._ " I sigh and slump my shoulders. Though Todoroki is quite popular among the girls of my class, and other classes, for his looks and cool attitude - it was foolish of me to assume that he's had a girlfriend. Nevertheless, it was him I sought out for guidance in this insane situation. His level-headedness and distant outlook would be my best bet in helping me make sense of this chaotic mess.  
Actually, he was more of my _next_ best bet. The bets I had before choosing him were removed from me.  
I would've asked Iida, if he wasn't as awkward as I was with women… and people in general. Some of the other boys in my class were probably more experienced in this kind of talk than we were, but I didn't know them well enough to ask something so personal. Bakugo and Mineta were the only other ones I was familiar with. And both are just… no.  
There was also the possibility of asking All-Might, or one of the other teachers. But I can't bother them with something like this. They have more important duties to attend to that concern the student body as a whole. To burden their time and expertise with my social ineptitude… I wouldn't want that.  
Then there were the girls in our class. But it's reputational suicide to talk to any of them about a subject that concerns another girl. Word gets around fast between them. And the only two among them that I would have trusted in keeping a conversation private between us were…

I plant my face on the staircase, letting out a muffled, screamed groan.

Uraraka and Tsuyu… my two closest friends of the opposite gender.  
Between those two, I could always rely on Uraraka for emotional support. She wouldn't always know what to say, or how to say what she wanted to say, but she'd always encourage me with a genuine intent. I couldn't exactly allow myself to see a situation as hopeless when she was there rooting for me.  
And in contrast, I could always count on Tsuyu to calm my thoughts with her straightforward rationality. She'd always know what words to say, how to say them, and when to say them. Bluntly and harshly, sure, but a lot of times I needed that cold slap of reality to get me back on my feet.  
Of my friends and acquaintances, it was these two that I relied on most when it came to discussions of over-complicated problems. It was these two that helped me simplify the issues of my panicked mind. And I was always thankful for their support in my times of need - not that I wanted to trouble them with my troubles, but they would always offer their help even without my asking.  
With an outrageous situation like this, of course I'd go to one of them for counsel! Or, at least, one of them would randomly appear beside me and give their two cents over my worries.  
But… That's not really possible now. After all, the two of them are the main focus of this very major problem. They're the main characters on this terrifying stage. The dual source of my current, confusing worries. And they're the reasons why this is way too complicated to handle on my own.  
The consequences of what would and will happen next is too much for me… If I fail at handling this situation properly, both of them will get hurt, in a horrible way. What would happen to our friendships after that, I really wouldn't know. And if I happened to succeed in handling this situation as I should, then one of them will get hurt twice as much. I'd definitely know what would happen to our friendships after that, and it isn't pretty. This is a no-win situation, as far as I can see. And I sorely miss having their eyes to help me see past minefields like this… If I could help it, I'd rather that neither of them come out of this unharmed. But by myself, how can I help it at all?

It was at the start of today's lunch break, when all this happened… Before I could make my way to the cafeteria, Tsuyu had pulled me aside to tell me something in private. The act caught me by surprise - since she was never the type to hide from anyone overhearing her talk. With the warning that she gave next, that the 'something she wanted to talk about' was something that needed to be taken seriously, my initial surprise turned into a worried alarm. And that alarm quickly turned into a denying meltdown…

"Uraraka Ochaco has strong affections for you." she had told me, "She has a crush on you."

Loyal to her ways of stating things simply and matter-of-factly, that was all Tsuyu had to tell me. Her face was deadpan, as was her tone of voice. She was well-known among her friends for her perfect poker face, and I knew her for using it against me to pull off harmless pranks and harsh teases. But this wasn't one of those moments - this wasn't a joke. Tsuyu wouldn't joke about something like that.  
After going on a long, denying tangent - questioning the sureness of her claims and pondering over the purpose of her telling me - she answered my confusion with, "Uraraka told me. I can show you the texts, if you want. I just wanted to tell you before she decided to keep quiet about it again, since I know you have a crush on Uraraka. It wouldn't have been right if you were the only one that didn't know."  
Tsuyu wasn't the type to beat around the bush… But she also wasn't the type to explain the nuances of her beating a particular bush. Like - how in the world did she know that I had a crush on Uraraka?! And - what did she mean by 'again' or 'only one that didn't know'?! How many layers were there to this story? And what was I supposed to do with it? Did she expect me to just approach Uraraka and confess to her out of the blue? Didn't she know that telling me this would turn me into a nervous wreck?  
Before I could react to her terrifyingly-simple explanation, the seriousness of the situation multiplied even further.

"Deku!" Uraraka called out to me, panting and wheezing between breaths. Sweat dripped from her chin and arms, revealing that she had been running herself ragged looking for me. "Don't listen to what Tsuyu has to say!" she yelled, too late in the conversation.  
A rapid back-and-forth ensued between Uraraka and Tsuyu, sometimes involving me in their pointed statements. I couldn't quite tell at the time if they were arguing against each other, or pleading for the other to reconsider. Arguing for what, reconsidering what, I couldn't keep up with them to figure it out. All I knew was that the both of them didn't want me to be swayed by the other's words… even though both of them were saying the same thing…

"Deku, even if I have feelings for you, it's Asui that loves you."

"Midoriya, I may have grown in those feelings, but Ochaco has been thinking of you all this time."

What each of them were saying meant the same exact thing to me: I was going to faint.  
And I think I did faint.  
Class bells warbled, the hallway and stairs crawled in my vision, and the lessons from the teachers felt like a dream language. I don't really remember what happened after that talk. If there was any conclusion reached, or if I even responded to either of them. All I know is that the rest of the day seemed to pass by like a strange vision, and I was just there as an unwitting witness to it all.  
All-Might was in that vision, trying to say something to me in a concerned panic, trying to get me to 'snap out of it' or something of the sort, but I couldn't understand what he meant by any of his words and/or actions. What was there to 'snap out of'? There was no 'it'. There couldn't have been an 'it'. I must have imagined it all.  
That was what I kept thinking in my dazed state. That is, until Bakugo blew me across the room with one of his explosions. That definitely woke me up, and left me with a pretty big bruise. Apparently, he had gotten tired of my 'stupid face'… I wondered what kind of look I had been carrying up to that point.  
Peeling myself off the wall, I soon realized that it was already the end of the school day. That was when I decided to seek someone out for advice. And that was when I found Todoroki, and dragged him into this conversation.

Todoroki doesn't seem too bothered by me bringing him here to talk, at the bottom of the east-hall's stairway - well out of the way of others. Supposedly he had no plans after class, and was willing to hear me out since he 'owed me one'. Even after he endured my chapter-long explanation of what had occurred throughout my day: he continued to lend an ear, and never once judged me negatively for what I had to say afterwards. Now I feel as if I owe him one.  
His responses to my rantings were just as level-headed and distant as I expected them to be. None of what he said really helped me get closer to an answer, but that wasn't a fault on his part. The help he did provide was in giving me this chance to put my worries out in the open. A lot of people have told me that I tend to keep my stresses to myself - making them worse with every unrealistic conclusion I stacked on top of them. But when I'm able to voice them, especially to a person that has their own opinions to share, my troubles become far less menacing in appearance. Even now, while I'm still pacing in circles and struggling to find a solution: I'm starting to think this may not be the absolute worst situation to find myself in - all thanks to Todoroki's calm demeanor.

"If I'm understanding this right..." Todoroki begins as he quietly closes the book he's reading. The book has no title at its front, its side, nor any descriptions at its back. With its size and shape, I'm assuming it's some kind of sketch/note journal. It may be a personal one, actually. I've seen him writing a lot during our breaks. Putting the possible-journal into his back-pocket, he continues, "Your crush on Uraraka is the main concern here. The fact that she may or may not have a crush on you, whether it is or isn't a joke – are secondary factors, if not zero factors."

"H-How do you mean?"

"Well... You hold feelings towards Uraraka even without her returning the affection. When she suddenly shows the affection back, you end up confused. You probably thought your feelings were going to stay one-sided. Actually, you probably thought they _should_ have stayed one-sided. And because of that, the relationship you have with her, going forward with whatever decision you make, is going to change. Your relationship no longer weighs itself by just what you think of her - it's going to weigh what she thinks of you, and how the two perceptions might clash with each other. The relationship between you two is changing into something entirely new, and it's nothing like what you thought it would be."

"You make me sound like a stalker… _Am I?_ No, more importantly, you were saying that our perceptions might clash… "

"People's expectations always do. What you may find interesting in her and what she finds interesting in you, will more than likely find each other at odds. You might want to become more serious in order to protect her, but she might like you better for your less-serious self. That sort of thing."

"That makes sense."

"But like I said earlier: That's all secondary. If her feelings towards you was the main problem here, then this would have been resolved immediately. She likes you, you like her: You two get together. Even if you two are shy about the approach, that's the only conclusion waiting for you. And Asui, though you see her as a good friend, will have to look elsewhere. It would be unfair for her to be in a relationship with you at the end of all this, when your affections are really towards Uraraka."

"That's true."

Todoroki's expression just changed. Well, just barely. His usual calm-frown shrank a little. I think he's trying to convey that he's confused. "Which is? What I said about Asui, or what I said about you and Uraraka?"

"I, _uh…_ I think I meant that for both?"

He closes his eyes and shakes his head. "Both facts can't be true for you, Midoriya. Because you came to me to talk about this. You're not exactly the type to humble-brag to people, so I doubt you're here to get a 'congratulations' from me. You came here with a problem that needed a solution. If both things were true, then I could just tell you that 'you already know the answer' and leave it at that… But if I said that now, and you accepted it as an answer and left, you'd be back in five minutes with another made-up worry. That means that this isn't the case - both aren't true."

Yeah… That sounds like something I'd do. "Then which of the two is true?"

"Which do you think?"

"I-I'm not sure! I can't think straight!"

Todoroki sighs. "The most obvious one is the one that's true: You like Uraraka, she likes you. You both agree to that. If none of this is a joke, then it's undeniable. That fact alone is the dilemma you're having trouble with."

He stares at me for some time, expecting me to put two and two together. But I'm really not getting it. I give him a very blank look. " _Um..._ "

"The other factor was that, if all this was true - then it would be unfair for Asui to end up in a relationship with you, because your feelings for Uraraka would deny Asui your full affections. That should be obvious. But it isn't obvious for you. You're still struggling over this. So that would mean that the factor is untrue. And if it's untrue, then one of the two following statements would have to be true… One: It would be fair if she got in a relationship with you even if your feelings for Uraraka kept you from giving her your full affection. Or two: It would be fair if she got in a relationship with you, because you know you can give her your full affection. "

 _Wait. So then that would mean…_ "What does that mean?" I feel like an idiot.

Todoroki puts his hands in his pockets and begins walking up the stairway. "The first statement doesn't make much sense, so it means that the second one is true. You're completely capable of giving Asui your full affections," he says before turning the corner, "And your feelings towards Uraraka is the only thing keeping you from admitting it." As he walks out of view, he casually waves his hand at me to excuse his exit. A second later, I could hear him talking to someone - probably on his phone.

I stay at the bottom of the steps, looking down at my feet.  
There's an unbearable sense of guilt weighing at my heart. I'm not sure why. Leaning my back on the wall, I slide myself into a crouch and let out a long sigh. The churning in my stomach is gone now. But the emptiness spreading inside my chest keeps me from feeling relieved.  
I wonder how Todoroki came to his conclusions. He said himself that he had never been in a relationship, and that he had rejected the girls that came his way. So how can he be confident that his idea of the situation was accurate? Though… his deductions weren't revolving around Uraraka and Tsuyu… They revolved around me. Rather than analyzing the full situation, he was only judging by my growing indecision.  
Maybe it is my indecision that's making this as difficult as it is, and not the situation itself. But if that's the case - how am I supposed to approach the dilemma now? Do I really have mutual feelings for Tsuyu? Can I really give her my full affection? Do I really see my feelings for Uraraka as an obstacle?  
None of these ideas feel entirely wrong...

But nothing about this situation feels right.


	10. Unsaid

It's been seven hours since I last saw him. The school's gates have shut and locked to signal the end of today's public service, the last of the students have already made their way home, and the afternoon sun is quickly sinking into an evening glow. Rather than wait for him, seek him out, or walk straight home, I spent my time after classes sitting at a nearby park's bench, lost in my own thoughts. These thoughts mostly revolved around him… And what I did to him.  
Seeing him go into a mental shock like that scared me. And then watching him carry on with his classes, still in that state… I must have gotten a gray hair from it. It was my fault he ended up that way. Well, Uraraka and I's faults. And now I hate myself for it. Why did I force that on him? Was it because I thought it was the right thing to do? Could I really not read the mood? Was I just impatient? Or was I scared? Did my lack of sleep finally make me snap? These were the questions I drowned myself in for hours, from afternoon sun to evening glow.  
I don't know what to expect for tomorrow or the days after, but I at least know that there's nothing left to expect for tonight. He's in no condition to talk things over the night. I'm not expecting a text from him - not even an email. And I won't trouble him with any either. Tonight, he needs to rest.  
Tonight, he needs to talk with Ochaco.

That idea makes my heart sink. My eyes moisten. I blink the wetness away and shake my head. There's no need to get depressed over this. It was the only logical conclusion. And besides, it's what I wanted. I wanted him to give her a fair chance. And I'd try in my own way to win him over if things don't work out. That was the plan.  
That was how it's supposed to go.  
 _But I…_  
I sigh and kick my foot at the ground. How many of these thoughts have I stomped out since I got here? Seven? Twelve? More than twenty? I've lost count.

My phone vibrates.  
It's probably family, or Mina and the others, or even Habuko. I'm not really in the mood to look at their messages, but… I'm not so foul in mood to be rude. My thumb traces a particular pattern on my phone's screen, 'click'ing it out of its locked state. A symbol in my notification bar tells me that it was, as expected, a text. I swipe down to get a peek at who sent it.

It's Midoriya. He wants to meet me. Tonight.

My mind goes numb, along with my thumb. I don't know how I should respond. I don't know if I should respond. I don't know if I should tell him to go home… or just run to him. For some reason, that's a very likely option for me. But deflating questions plague me before I can act out my decision… Am I the first one he asked to meet? Did he already meet with Uraraka? What is he planning on telling me? What if Uraraka is with him when we meet?  
I really shouldn't jump to conclusions like this, I know, but...  
I sit back and take a long breath. There's still a few minutes before the sun completely goes, so we shouldn't be shoo'd off if we were to meet outside. It's not like there's anywhere indoors we could afford to go into. Most restaurants around here are pretty expensive during dinner hours. And besides, I'm not hungry. I won't be hungry for hours.

My thumb begins to swipe out words without a thought. I'm only going to scare myself needlessly if I keep thinking over what-ifs. The message fills itself out to read 'Small playground park near U.A. West of the station. In the residential district. I'm already here.'  
It's a simple enough text. One that isn't too friendly so as to not pretend like nothing happened. It's plain enough for him to read if he's still not feeling well. And it makes our meeting easier.

Located just a few blocks south of U.A. - this small playground park is tucked away from most visitors' views. With only one tree gracing one of its corners, and equipped lightly with a single slide, two swings, a small jungle gym, and a pitiful-sized sandbox - it's not something you'd expect to find near a fancy, prestigious school. But like the small bar, candy shop, and restaurant nearby: this plain and simple place was here long before U.A. was even built. The old-town features of its design would be in stark contrast to a majority of the modern buildings and shops, if it was out in the open. But it isn't. Walking out of the nearest train station and sliding yourself into the residential area, you'd only run into this park if you zig-zagged your way through its narrow pedestrian-only streets.  
Most tourists and out-of-city workers don't know about this place - meaning a majority of people have no idea it exists. But a large handful of U.A. students have become familiar with it. It's the shortcut many of us take to get to the school. Well, it's actually the long way around, but we don't run into main street traffic here. Some of the students even use this area as their hang out spot - which I assume is how this place gets its business. I'm one of these students.  
Coming from a smaller, less busy town, the settings of this area is one that I'm more familiar with. After classes, and sometimes before, I make my way here and sit on the only bench of this park, just to relax. On days I'm especially worried over things, I tend to come here and take in the sights; sometimes I watch the local kids play around in the playground - fussing and struggling with the smaller things in life, shouting and screaming without a care in the world. Seeing them, being here, always puts my mind at ease. It reminds me that there's no need to put so much pressure on yourself and the things you do, because when you sit back and think about it: we all started off as kids - not knowing anything at all.  
Maybe this place can help him keep things in perspective too. Though I doubt any kids would visit here after-hours. And it's not encouraged for unrelated, older males to stare at children. But still, the place is private enough for anything he wants to talk about.

As the lights of the dingy streetlamps flicker on, and the storefronts begin to switch to their nightly routines… I hear a set of footsteps approaching me. My ears tell me that those footsteps belong to him. I know it's creepy, but I've listened to the way he walks so intently that I know whether it's his footsteps or not. I'm confident it's him. I could just look over my shoulder to be sure… but if his mind is still sensitive from today's events, the last thing I'd want to do is shake his resolve with eye contact.  
His steps slow down at a spot right next to me, and the creaking of the bench signals his full arrival. Should I greet him? I think a greeting shouldn't be too much for him. "Midoriya." I say without looking his way. The bench creaks a little, showing that he was a little stunned by the greeting.

" _T-Tsuyu…_ "

I shouldn't tease him right now, but I've been waiting to say this for weeks, "Call me Asui."

"Huh?"

"I'm joking." I smile. "It's just the first time you've ever got my name right while you were nervous."

He gives me a small laugh. It has a sort of melancholy tone to it. Now I feel bad for trying to joke with him. I shouldn't read into it too much, though, otherwise I'll lose what little resolve _I_ have left. "I… _um…_ " he starts, searching hard for words. His mind is still worn out from today… "I want to make sure of something before we talk."

We already are talking. But I won't throw that tease at him. "Hm?"

"You're not… You're not joking about this, are you?"

My smile shrinks away. The facade of my face is beginning break, but I try to hold onto it for just a little longer. Had he asked me this question earlier today, I might have fallen apart. But my time in this park really helped me in readying myself for this kind of conversation - whether it happened sooner or later.  
I shake my head smoothly. "I'm not joking." I answer him, "You saw it for yourself when Ochaco got there. She already knew what I was going to tell you, and she ran all around the school to stop me. If she was trying to stop a joke, then she wouldn't have been playing along with it. You know Uraraka and I would never pull a joke like that on you. That would be too terrible, even for my harsh teasings."

"I-I suppose." is his only answer for me, accented with an all too familiar stutter. I hear him stutter so much, I'm beginning to wonder if it's a speech impediment… No, wait, he spoke to me without a stutter at the amusement park. And in class. It's just a nervous reaction then. "So then…" he continues his nervous reaction, "Uraraka wasn't joking either?"

My chest hurts. "… No. She wasn't."

"Why… _Um…_ What is about me that you like?" he laughs, jabbing himself with the question.

… I hate that question. This is the third time it's come up. Mina and the others asked it first when they tried pairing us up. After the mutual rejection, they hounded me as to what I liked about him. At the time, my answers were only repeating what I had said before: that he was 'the only decent one around', compared to my other options. But even at that time, I found their question a little rude. It was essentially asking me "He has so little going for him, so what's there to like?"  
Then when Ochaco asked me that question indirectly, with her 'Is that why you like him?' - it irritated me a lot. It was as if I couldn't have possibly thought of another reason to like him. As if she was the only one who saw something special in him, and no one else but her could appreciate those things about him. That assumption may be a bit exaggerated, but there's truth to it. Why else would she ask it?  
Is it so hard to believe that I find something attractive or amazing about Midoriya? He has so many great qualities just sitting there for all to see, but no one ever seems to point them out. Maybe I only find those things obvious because I spend all my time watching and listening to him. Maybe I only noticed them because I give him a chance, rather than shoot him down for his weaker qualities. It may be because he's too meek at times, but meekness shouldn't be a negative trait that negates your positives.  
Well, maybe now it should. The way he asked this question makes me want to hit him. There was so little confidence in his tone. It's as if he's listened to everyone else's put-downs, heeded everyone else's silence over him, that he never listened to a single thing Ochaco or I have said about him. Even Iida compliments him! Though, he's a little heavy-handed with them, so maybe he's not a good example. But the major problem here is that I know he's heard me… He's heard me tell him every reason why I like him. To his face. So why would he need to ask?

"Did I say something wrong?" He's looking at me with a really worried frown.

I realize now that I'm glaring at him. I quickly blink my eyes to reset their condition, but I feel some humidity getting to them. With a harder blink, I dry them, and try to force a more neutral expression - though it feels near impossible right now. " _Midoriya,_ " I tell him with a strained, plain voice, " _I've already told you why I like you._ "

"You have?"

"I tell it to you every day."

"Huh? When?"

"Throughout the day. Every day. A day hasn't passed since our date where I haven't complimented you in some way. I know you've heard me say them. You've responded to me every time. I've… _I've said that…_ you were cool, that you were funny, that you're handsome, you're kind, considerate, brave, clever, quick-witted, interesting, unique, strong, passionate, pure, cute, adorable, and even wonderful!" Ah. I'm starting to yell. I need to lower my volume. And I need to relax my brows again. Come on, relax.

"Tsuyu… I always thought you were teasing me."

My brows immediately furrow. I was trying to my best to calm them down, to seem more approachable, but now I really don't care what he thinks of me. I smack him hard across the face and stand up, glaring over him. "Idiot! I -! _You -…!_ You're such an idiot! I haven't been teasing you, Midoriya! I meant every one of those things from the bottom of my heart!"

"H-How was I supposed to know? I didn't know you -"

" _ **That I liked you?**_ That has nothing to do with this, Midoriya! I can compliment you even without having to like you, you know?! Do you seriously think that I can only think highly of you if I have a crush on you?! Maybe people mistreated you all your life and never gave you a chance to prove yourself! But do you really think I'm one of those people?! Even as just your friend, do you really think that I think little of you?! Wouldn't that mean that I only make friends with people I don't care for? That I compliment people who don't deserve it? Stand by the side of those who aren't worth it? Is that what you think of me?!"

"No! I never said that!"

"Then why can't you just take my compliments?! Why can't you just let me think that you're sweet, and awesome, and hot?!"

"H-H-HOT?!"

"Why do I need to preface everything with 'I'm not joking'?! Or 'I'm being serious'?! Why do I need evidence to prove that I like you?! Can't it just be obvious that I like being around you? Doesn't it show when I go out of my way just to make sure you're okay? When I genuinely laugh and smile around you? When I talk with you differently than how I talk with anyone else? When I take all of your suggestions and opinions to heart? When I try really hard to change how I see things just so I don't hold you back? When I'm willing to give you up because I think Ochaco is a better match for you?! Why can't… _Why can't I just -_ "  
Midoriya is holding me in his arms. When did he pull me in? I must have gotten blind in my anger that - … Oh. I'm crying… I'm sobbing? I can't believe I'm sobbing in front of him like this. And now, despite myself, I start to press my face into his chest… and tuck my forearms between us. I really shouldn't be doing this. But this feels really nice. Like I'm going to sink into him. I'd… like that. I don't want to be out here right now, anyways. I'd want to go inside him and never come out. I don't want to face reality right now, or have to face it tomorrow, or the next day. Because… Maybe… after all this… " _I won't be able to feel this way for you anymore._ " I whisper to him.  
He holds me closer. I can hear his heart beating. It's fast, and loud. He must be blushing really hard. I can feel the heat of his cheeks. I don't think I've ever seen him hug someone before. To think someone as shy as him would have to hug a girl to comfort her. He's really sweet - but he's trying too hard. He's going to give himself a heart attack at this rate.

"Aren't you being a hypocrite?"

My eyes blink open. " _Hm?_ " I try to push away to look up at him, but he holds me closer. My heart jolts.

"You say that… it's terrible for me… to assume that you think little of me." he says, with an obvious nervousness still in his voice. "That I'm not accepting what you have to say or feel towards me. I'm not letting you… be honest with me. But what about you?"

"I'm not sure I follow, Midoriya."

"And that's another thing… You keep insisting that I call you 'Tsuyu' every time, even when I'm not comfortable with it yet. But why don't you ever call me by my given name?"

"Izuku."  
My face is burning hot. I think my whole body might be. Or is that Midoriya's? Whatever the case is, the both of us have stopped talking, and stopped moving. I can't hear his heart beat anymore.

"Say it one more time." he tells me. So bold!

"Izuku…" My chest feels like it's going to burst.

"It's uncomfortable to say, isn't it?" he says with a forced laugh.

"I just said it twice!"

"Say it ten times."

"Izuku, Izuku, Izuku, Izuku… I-Izuku. Izuku Izuku. _Izu-z-zuku, Izuku-ku… I-I-I-Izu-!_ " He's genuinely laughing at me now. "Sh-Shut up! Yes, it is a little embarrassing to say."

"Now you know how I feel."

" _You can start calling me 'Asui' from now on then..._ " my heart sinks the instant I say it. It's sinking a lot lower than I thought it could. I'm starting to sob again. I shouldn't be. It's only proper for him to avoid calling me by my given name after today. It wouldn't be right.

His hand slides across my head, forcing a chill to run through my body - a good kind. I… liked that. I want him to do it again. I should feel ashamed of myself. " _Tsuyu._ " he whispers in my hair. A stronger chill runs through me. My knees feel weak. " _What if…_ What if I liked you?"

"Don't joke about that, Midoriya." I say with a tired laugh.

"Call me Izuku."

"Don't joke about this, Midoriya!" I shove him away, glaring at him. The glare drops instantly…

He's staring back at me with determined eyes. "Tsuyu… I think I like you."

"Y-You think?"

"Yeah, I think so. I just… I never noticed it until I really thought about it." he says as he looks away from me slightly, almost as if he's apologizing for giving me such a serious face earlier, "I was so absorbed by all the events we've been going through, everything that's come up between us - that I never took the time to think about… _'us'_. All the things you've done for me- All the things you've said to me- And when we'd stay up texting, or calling each other… I was really grateful to share in those moments with you. I settled with that satisfaction between us, since it was more than I could have asked for by being your friend. And so, I think, I made myself never think about how I really felt for you."

I frown. "And now you have feelings for me?"

"Well - _I think…_ I always have. At least, since our date. The feelings I had for you weren't the same as the ones I felt towards Uraraka, so I just settled with the fact that you were a unique friend. And then when we became more personal with each other, I thought we were just really close friends. In my head, though, I saw you as my best friend."

"You're _my_ best friend… That's one of the things I find attractive about you, Midoriya."

" _I…_ I had that idea reversed in my head. I thought that since you were my best friend, I couldn't think of you in any other way… but just a little while ago, when I started to really sort myself out and think about things between us, I started to realize that there were things that I thought about you that were beyond just a friendship. Thoughts that I casually refused to talk about in our day-to-days. It was already so natural to hang out and talk with you, that I never felt like those thoughts had any place between us."

"What kind of 'thoughts'?"

He coughs. Repeatedly. The question might have been too blunt. "T-Thoughts _like…_ " his voice trails off into murmuring.

I step on his foot. "Don't chicken out on me now. You have me curious."

"T-THOUGHTS LIKE… I find you really cute. And… I really like how you say 'kero' at the end of some of your sentences. And that I like the way you poke fun at me. And that I find your laugh really adorable. And your eyes are beautiful. And your hair. And shoulders. And -"

" **STOP!** " I yell. My heart's racing, and I'm having a hard time catching my breath. If he keeps going like that, I might be the one having a heart attack. "A - A lot of people can think those things, Midoriya. But it doesn't mean you have to have feelings for me. Those are just normal, everyday thoughts you can have for your friends and acquaintances. Th-They come and go."

"Then what about thoughts like… I think I'm in love with you?"

I stare him in the eyes, and he stares back. If he flinches just once, then he's lying. He has to be lying. But he's staring at me straight on - not blinking - not moving. And his face is getting more serious the longer I stare. But then that would mean… No, he's just -

"You're about to tell me that I could just be mistaken, right?" he says to me in an almost upset tone, "That's why I said earlier that you were being a hypocrite. You want me to accept the fact that you think highly of me, and that it's not weird for you to have feelings for me. But why doesn't that logic apply to you? You pushed Uraraka onto me, thinking that it was obvious that I'd choose her - that I'd choose her over you. You tell me that she's a better match for me. You assume that I can't have strong feelings towards you, that I can't see anything appealing about you. You probably think that our friendship is going to end the instant we walk out of this park. You have it all settled in your mind already, and you won't let anything change it - not even what I have to say!"  
He approaches me and reaches for my left hand. Pulling it up by the wrist, he rolls back my arm's sleeve to expose my skin. I instinctively pull away, but his grip tightens. "It's like how you wouldn't let me say that there's nothing wrong with your hands. If you want to think they're big and ugly - that's on you. But why wouldn't you let me think otherwise? I don't think they're ugly. Gigantic. Strange. Or even disproportionate. I think they match you. At times, I think they look strong - and that you look cool with them. Right now, I think they're cute. No, don't pull away. Don't give me that look. I'm not confused. I'm not lying. I really do feel that way, Tsuyu."

" _ **Y-YOU'RE WEIRD!**_ "

"If I'm weird for liking your hands, then I'm fine with that: I'm weird as weird can get. That won't change how I feel about them. You can't change how I feel about them. And nothing you say changes how I feel about you! I… _I -_ I l-l-love you, Tsuyu!"

"Don't force yourself to say it!"

"Don't force yourself to deny it! I'm saying it now because I want to. Can you really say the same when you tell me to stop saying these things? I l-love you. I love your smiles. I love your laughs. I love your straight faces. I love your hands, your hair, your eyes, your mouth, I love - love - love - love everything about you! I love being around you. I want to keep being around you. Every day! And every n-night. Your texts at night cheer me up. Your calls in the morning make me feel warm… I want to hear your voice every morning. I want to see you every day. To tell jokes, to play games, to keep talking, to help each other out, to watch each other's backs, to learn more about each other, to learn new things together!"

"Wh-When did this turn into a proposal?"

He flinches. I take that as my chance to pull away from him. We both take a step back, looking away from each other - our faces burning red. " _I-I'm not ready to propose yet._ "

The word 'yet' echoes in my head. I slap my face to regain composure. "What about Uraraka?" I ask. My hands are shaking. So are my legs. My chest feels like it's chilling. I'm suddenly very aware of how terrifying an answer to this would be. But for the sake of honesty, I have to ask it, "Don't you love her?"

"I think I do."

His answer stabs my heart. There's a sinking feeling inside of me - starting from my head, and crawling down to my toes. I want to… _run._ No, that's not it. I want to… I don't know. _'Not be here'_. But I don't want to run to 'not be here'. I want to stay here, but… I want to disappear. One of my feet lifts itself off the ground… but it remains there, hovering. I can't bring myself to run. Not after everything he's said to me. I want to see where this ends. I need to see it. Even if I want to disappear, I have to be here for what he says next. If these feelings for him die here and now… I need him to be the one that kills them. " _Then…_ " I whisper as I look up at him. My cheeks feel wet. " _Then why not her?_ "

"Because you're the one I can't imagine living my life without."

…

I can't think of anything to say. I can't… think of anything at all. My knees gave out at some point, and now I'm on the floor… sitting up, staring up at him. Drops of something wet is pattering against my clothes. I think I'm crying again. I don't know why I'm crying again. " _Izuku…_ " I whimper, " _Why am I crying?_ "

He reaches his hand towards my face, sliding his thumb across my cheek. Tears are sliding down his own cheeks, far more than mine. "Because our hearts found each other." he says as he pulls me close.

I let out a loud snort. "That's really lame!"

"H-Hey! I - I took the line from a movie!" he defends himself with pouting face, "I thought it sounded cool…"

"You're such a dork, Midoriya!"

"Hey! Call me Izu- !" I hop up and press my lips against his.

* * *

My first kiss. Our first kiss.

* * *

His tears kept dripping into my eye. My lips had to move over twice because I wasn't sure where to put them. We bumped our foreheads pretty hard at one point. His whole body started shaking because of the half-falling position he was in. I tried tugging him down to lean against me but he wasn't taking the hint. And I was breathing a little too loudly out of my nose for the whole thing.

It was beyond awkward and weird… but I really liked it.

The strange taste/texture of his lips… The heat of his face against mine… His body so close to mine, making my heart race. Then when he started kissing me back… I felt like my whole body was melting. One of his hands cradled the back of my head. His other hand curved around my hip. His body crouching over mine… I lost myself entirely. I felt like I was… his. Claimed by him. And he would never let me go.

I wouldn't mind that at all.

My mind was swimming by the time he pulled away. His eyes were wide, his breaths were heavy, and his entire body was brimming with heat… I had to slip away and put some distance between us. Seeing him like that almost got me too excited.  
The two of us retreated back to the bench - catching our breaths, and looking anywhere but at each other.

" _Are… we a couple now?_ " he asks me with a bewildered voice.

I elbow him on the rib. "You think we kissed each other just for fun?"

" _N-No._ " he half-laughed, rubbing his rib. " _But… Well…_ You never said it."

"Never said what?"

"That you love me."

"Would I kiss you if I didn't?"

"I'm not saying that. I'm just saying that it feels like you're avoiding saying it."

"Then… _I love you…_ I love you, Izuku…"

He inches his hand towards me - and I place my hand in his.  
For some reason, this feels sweeter than our kiss.


	11. Lie

Two months have passed since Izuku and I became a couple.  
Outwardly, and inwardly, not too much has changed between us. Izuku, Iida, Ochaco, and I still hang out together during lunch. On occasion, Mineta forces himself in. Sometimes Mina, Momo, Toru, and Jiro stop by to mess with us. Rarely, very rarely, we've had Todoroki as a guest. Our relationships with others, whether individual or grouped, close or impersonal, haven't really changed by any extremes. Except, maybe, between Ochaco and I - now that we're talking and hanging out more. The only other change people have noticed in our little groups, is that I now call Izuku 'Izuku'. The two of us get teased about it a lot.  
Our classes still go on like they have been, with the occasional disaster throwing us all for a loop. The tests are getting harder, but we're improving with them. Days off are becoming rarer by the week, and we still spend them to our fullest. Our personal lives are becoming more vibrant with every solid experience we succeed or fail in. And in general: We're growing. Sometimes, literally.  
Izuku might be an inch or two taller now - which is making our difference in height much more noticeable. Not that I mind the difference. I think it makes us look cute.

No one's really talked about us being a couple… because we haven't really told anyone. The two of us decided that we would keep this pretty hush-hush. Not because we're embarrassed over it, or want to hide it. We just don't want to make it a big deal in front of others.  
Ochaco knows. Izuku was a good man and told her personally, the day after his confession to me. I still don't know what he said to her on that day, nor do I want to pry into that private matter - but I'm glad that it ended well. Ochaco and Izuku are still close friends, and her and I have grown in our own friendship. She holds nothing against me, and says she's really happy for us. There's no doubt in my mind that she still holds strong affections for him, and that they might have even grown since… but I trust her. In fact, in a really weird way, Ochaco and I are closer now because we can talk so openly about Izuku around each other.  
I don't know where this strange relationship will lead, but for now - it's pleasant to have.

As a couple, Izuku and I don't look that much different from a set of best friends. We still hang out like we had as close friends, still talk the same way as we did before, never exchanged any form of promise jewelry, and haven't settled on any pet names between us. He tried calling me his 'Frog Princess' at some point, but that didn't stick. I tried calling him 'darling' last week, but that didn't last either. Romantically, we're a little inept. We each try our hand at wooing the other - but even this far along: we're just really awkward at it.  
That's not to say we never have romantic thoughts/feelings for each other. It's just that they don't translate well into the real world. Gazing into each other's eyes always ends up being a staring contest. Tickle fights always ends up with one of us flung across the room. Poetry and love letters repeatedly becomes a translation session. And don't ask us about dancing. We both needed visits to Recovery Girl after those attempts… But we're good at hugging, holding hands, and piggy-back rides. We have those down.  
He and I do go on dates, though. In fact, frequent dating sessions is about the only concrete change between us since becoming a couple. Whenever we have the chance, he and I go for a date. All sorts of dates. Restaurant dates, cafe dates, amusement park dates, water park dates, regular park dates, early morning dates, late night dates, beach dates, karaoke dates, shopping dates, study dates, movie dates, rental movie dates, arcade dates, dessert dates, candy shop dates, TV dates, soda dates, eating snacks in front of a convenient store dates… Okay, so most of those are things that friends do normally, but we still count them as dates. If we don't do them often with others: it's special for us.

A few times people from our class have seen us during our dates. But due to how 'tame' we are around each other, they figured that we were just hanging out as friends. We've even been told on numerous occasions, " _You two should just go out already._ " And, " _You two should just die._ " Though, the latter was just Mineta running into us more than once.  
I suppose, when I think about it, we are a little tame for a couple. We've kissed maybe six times since our first one. Only seven kisses in two months? That has to be a record for couples.  
Kissing is… difficult for us. Not only is it still a little embarrassing to do, but him and I get a little too into them. We avoid doing them for long periods of time because there's very little holding us back from going any further. He's interested. I'm interested. What's to stop us other than our self-control?  
I know it's a little strange to get that way over just a little kiss, but… I'm really attracted to Izuku. Just one, intimate, physical interaction with him and it feels like I'm going to pounce him. And, from how he looks at me, it feels like he's about to do the same. We mutually agreed that we don't want to do… _that stuff_ until we're ready for kids, and that we don't want to have kids until we get married, and that we don't want to marry until we graduate… but it's hard to not want to skip some of the steps. So, for now, kissing is kept to a minimum between us.  
Now I'm not sure if we could be called 'tame', after letting out that tidbit.

Nevertheless, Izuku and I are happy the way we are as boyfriend and girlfriend. We're not as eccentric as other couples, don't publicly advertise ourselves, rarely share the 'couple specials' in restaurants and cafes, don't go overboard with promises and oaths, rarely ever kiss… And we're fine with that. We have more things to do, learn, and work on as Izuku and Tsuyu - that we don't really care to 'prove' our coupledom to others, or ourselves. We don't need those evidences to show that we're serious, after all. I can just give him my love. And he'll do the same for me.

* * *

I forgot that I raised the brightness on my phone this morning. I'm almost blinded once the webpage's white screen flicks against my eyes. With three slides of my thumb, I dim the backlight settings of my screen and return to viewing the page. A press here, a drop-down menu there, one swipe, a click, and… there we go. I delete a photo from my private image board.

It was a photo of Izuku and I, taken over three months ago. In it, he and I were looking into each other's eyes, gazing deeply in innocent admiration. Our hands were placed against one another, comparing their sizes and shapes in such a tender way. With a beautiful setting sun as our backdrop, as if to end this moment forever, and lead into another, unknown adventure.  
It was a stunning photo that had plagued my thoughts, and made me obsessed, for weeks. I would look at it almost every night since I received it - staring deep into it, memorizing its colors and lines, retelling the stories that were inside of it… making up new ones. And when that wasn't enough, I took more photos of Izuku, or of Izuku and I, usually without his knowing - to stare at and build a growing story between them.  
I had gotten sick with my love of those pictures. And this wasn't an exaggeration: Recovery Girl had told me that I was becoming more tired and lethargic with every passing day because I wouldn't let my mind rest. I literally couldn't stop thinking about Izuku - because after I received that photo, I put all of my swarming thoughts and dreams into it… to the point of actual sickness. Some days I couldn't even make it to school.  
Yet, despite its wear and weight on me, that photo, and its matching gallery, were very dear to my heart. They had sparked my desire to get closer with Izuku. They pushed me to try to build a real, tangible relationship with him, socially and physically. And they're what set off a series of events that not only ended with Izuku and I becoming a couple, but also with Ochaco becoming one of my best friends. They were a heavy burden for me since the days I kept them, but getting tired of their weight on me, and seeking the reality that was on the other side of them: I've become more free, more satisfied, than I've ever been in my life.

I know that, for now and for a while, I'm going to miss that first photo… But it's about time I got rid of it, and replace it with new ones.  
After all… it was just a beautiful lie.


	12. Extra Ch1 - Together, We Fight

_Author's Note: The following chapters are an extra set added to the original fiction's story. If you are absolutely happy and satisfied with the original's ending, it's recommended that you stop reading at this point. Fair warning~_

* * *

 ** _Mutual Lie, Extra Story:_ Mirage, Erased**

* * *

"The other side of the building is toppling! We need –"

"On it!"

"Then I'll escort the hostages into the safe zone. We'll regroup back there!"

"What about the villains?"

"We can't handle them right now! Secure the area first!"

"But Deku –"

"Deku wanted us to push the rescue effort! So let's get this done fast. I'll make sure the ones here can escape – you have to make sure no one else gets caught in that collapse. We can worry about Deku after we're done here."

Uravity stares in my direction for an unnerving amount of seconds, then nods in unwilling agreement. "Take care of them," she says to me as she waves her hand towards a small abandoned home.  
Two sets of families and one injured individual limp out into the open. Crowding themselves near the heroine, Uravity checks on each of their well-beings and gives them a short set of instructions, before sending them my way. Confirming that all of them merged comfortably into my group, Uravity exchanges glances with me, then turns away and runs towards a disintegrating building. Large pieces of shattered debris begin floating off the ground – signaling the use of the heroine's Quirk.  
She's doing her job, now I've got to focus on mine.

"Attention, everyone! We'll be relocating ourselves to a safe zone set up by the military police! It's an area west of here, and it's two blocks of burning walls and cars for most of the way there! I'll be blunt – It's going to be very hot, extremely dangerous, and if you don't stick close to those in front of you – you _will_ get lost! Right now – neither the heroes nor the police can spare the manpower to send out any more search parties! That means once we get there – _that's it_! If we lose any of you at any point – there's no guarantee we can find you again!"  
Murmurs of distress spreads quickly within the crowds of people in front of me. With half of them rescued by Deku and the other half found by Uravity, there's no doubt that they'd be off-put by my way of speaking. My speeches have never been the type to build up optimism or comfort. That's not what I'm known for anyways – especially when my teammates are the ones known to overuse those appeals. No, I'd much rather be known for my honesty. And the honest truth is – I'm not confident that I can keep all these people safe by myself.  
Waiting for assistance isn't an option for me. I couldn't even spare myself Uravity's help. Right now, with nearly a hundred villains on the loose, we're severely lacking the numbers to handle this emergency. All around us, shattered buildings shatter even further with explosions and loud impacts, Quirkfire zips and flares through the smoke-filled air, the ground shakes with the rumblings of titanic battles, and cries for help can be heard by stranded civilians hidden throughout the half-demolished city. If I wait for help in this maelstrom, then the chances of losing one of these people beside me increases exponentially. I can't risk that. And I can't risk losing myself here either. There's still one person waiting for me.

"We're moving out! Link in pairs and keep only a few feet between you and the next pair!" I yell over the anxious crowd's murmurs and turn towards our destination. The hard tone of my voice prevents them from arguing, and the cold shoulder shows that I have no time for negotiation. It's now or never.  
Slowly, and without stopping, I lead the civilians through the rubble, and into the fire-maze. Our unhurried, ceaseless pace ensures that we can avoid most falling debris – while at the same time, we can gradually increase the distance between us and the major danger zone.  
The only factors left to concern myself with are the citizen's adherence to my directions, and their current physical conditions. A strong, clear command will be enough to encourage the former. But the latter depends entirely on their uncovered injuries, and our proximity to the flames. Those are much more difficult to supervise. Especially when your own condition needs just as much attention.  
Heat – from flames, ashes, and hot weather – claws at my skin and throat. My body-born, aquatic-preferred Quirk makes me very susceptible to dehydration and heatstroke, so this sort of environment really isn't ideal for me. The people and scenes around me shake and blur. My vision is starting to haze, and I can feel my sense of balance tripping over itself. I'll be in an awful spot if I continue in this condition.  
Thankfully, I won't have to. Every Pro Hero that's managed under a competent Agency is always equipped with countermeasure items – especially heroes like myself, who have innate weaknesses.  
With a click of a button, my support item activates and releases a light mist throughout my body. It's not enough to satiate the terrible thirst in my throat, but it's enough to hold back the heat-rashes. For the moment, this will do – and I'll just have to push myself to work with only this much.

A turn around a collapsed building, a slow walk down a closed-off street, a crawl under a nest of twisted traffic lights, and… the worst kind of obstacle decides to block our way forward: a blazing wall of stacked cars. A villain must have built this to shield themselves from a hero's attacks… it's too bad for them that it was Deku that appeared on the scene… And it's too bad for us that he didn't 'Smash' his way through this barrier.  
Looking behind me, I confirm twice that none of the citizens with me had gotten lost or separated during our travel. At least that's encouraging. The distraught looks on their faces, though, tell me that none of them have Quirks that can help with this fire-problem – that's discouraging. We'll have to walk all the way back and find another route. My mist-maker might run out of water by then… I don't –

"Hey! What're you standing around for?!"

A deafening **BOOM!** shakes the air, and a superheated gust of wind forces us all back a step. The sudden increase in temperature caused my mist-maker to spray an excessive amount of water to compensate – now I definitely won't have enough to make the trip back.  
Not that I need it anymore: The area in front of us, once a flaming car-pile barrier, is now an open road with busted vehicles lining its sides. Standing defiantly at the opening's center is the hero Bombing Run – agitated in his disposition, like always.  
My disposition is one of surprise. I was aware that Bombing Run was also involved in this operation, but I never expected him to break away from combat just to help another hero. His hot temper and violent streak always paints him as a bad boy with no regard for others, but I guess that's a pretty shallow assumption to make. There are times when he does things like this – heroic, selfless acts that puts others before himself. I really should reevaluate my opinion of him.

"Get yourself and those idiots out of here, frog face! You asking to get cooked?!"

… but it's hard to change your opinion of someone when they never fail to insult you. I sigh with disappointment – I can reevaluate him another time.  
"Thanks, Bombing Run." I respond as I lead the scared citizens through the opened path. "I'm getting these civilians to the MP zone. Uravity left to go handle the buildings to the south."

His eye twitches at the last sentence. " _Tch._ That's where those three muscle-villains are. Is she looking to get killed?" Before I can respond, he detonates the ground with his Quirk and launches himself into the air – heading south towards the crumbling buildings.  
Mentioning Uravity in a danger zone always gets his attention. Dealing with him afterwards is a real hassle, but I still baited him with her location. I'd rather have Uravity get out of this situation alive with his help and deal with the annoyances later, than worry over her safety until I see her again.

With that end taken care of, and the area in front of me opened, I pick up my pace in leading the groups towards the final destination. There's still plenty of rubble and obstacles ahead of us, making this trek no less daunting in its length, but at least very little fire can be found on this side of the city. We've finally passed the perimeter of the fire-villain's attacks – and now half of the dangers we've faced are gone. This makes it much easier for us to move around.  
We travel through the concrete labyrinth, twisting and turning around the similar-looking corners and climbing mounds of rubble when we can. Now and again we would run into tall, impossible to climb dead ends. Some, we turn away from and find another path. Others, I use my Quirk-enhanced kicks to tumble down. The air's still too dry for my tastes, but without the intense heat of fire threatening me – I can spare enough energy to make some shortcuts for ourselves. And we need all the shortcuts we can get – we've spent over an hour and a half trying to navigate our way through this broken-down labyrinth.  
But by the end of this struggle, we had safely reached our destination – with no casualties and no losses. A definite victory, in at least this task. But the tasks left unfinished become more apparent from here on… The rescued citizens are relieved to finally be outside of the warzone, but many among them are voicing their worries for family and friends still out there – stranded somewhere in the chaos, or unknowingly placed into another secure location. Their concerns are piling on top of their rescuers'. It is, after all, our job to save them.  
The panicked citizens were starting to beg the military police, they began begging me, to find their missing. Accepting these kinds of requests is impossible, however. Hero or not, there were too many tasks already at hand for the rescuers here – securing safe zones, securing paths to safe zones, preventing further environmental-based disasters, preventing further villain-based disasters, preventing further villain incursions, locating fleeing and hiding villains, keeping the Agency communications up to date, securing invasive journalists, securing meddling vigilantes, securing injured heroes, securing any stranded civilians we run into, and most important of them all: taking down the still-threatening, still-attacking villains that are attempting to make these conditions worse for us heroes.  
That last one's my job, specifically. If I, or anyone else here, were to ignore our given orders and make time to find just one of these people's lost relatives… that would only ensure that more relatives are lost in the process.  
So though they ask, and beg, and grieve… I have to remain unfazed. I'm not like Deku. I won't make flimsy, unwarranted promises just to bring hope to people. I wouldn't ever want these people to think that I can solve all of their problems. That would be irresponsible. Instead, what I can at least promise is…

"I'll save them if I find them."

It's a stinging phrase. Partially relieving, mostly discouraging.  
It says 'I might not find them', and brings their innumerable fears to light. It's harsh, terribly so, but it's the truth.

The heroine Hoplight is not known for comfort or softness. Maybe by my old name, 'Froppy', I was seen as someone more approachable and friendly. But now that my hero suit is covered with impact-proof scales and face-guarded with a glaring, emotionless helmet – it's difficult to view me as a positive pillar to lean on. Stack atop my stinging words, and I can only be seen as cold and distant.  
My current looks and name weren't originally _meant_ to convey this. Much like Bombing Run and many others from Class 1-A, I had only changed my hero appearance and name to fit my new approach as a Pro Hero. With years of experience and challenges behind us, each of us adjusted in our own ways to face the hero occupation. There were actually very few of us that hadn't changed significantly before graduation. Deku and Uravity being two of those who hadn't.  
For myself, I needed a tougher exterior to face combat situations, and a name that matched the new purpose of the suit. The suit I had as 'Froppy' was too light and bare, equipped to mostly handle rescue and evacuation operations. Even the old name was better suited for that sort of heroism – making me sound cheerful and friendly. But as 'Hoplight', armored in scales, and armed with projectile devices, I'm absolutely designed and advertised for battle.  
Meaning that this rescue-operation I was forced into _really_ didn't suit me. But I went through with it anyways. Because I'm a hero. And because he asked me to.

It's been two hours since I broke off from Uravity. Though I had promised her that we would meet here, the anxiety of what we've left unfinished is bugging me too much. Hoping she'd find me eventually, I notify the MP of my leaving, and venture back into the danger zone.  
I leap from building to building, launching off grappling hooks from window to window – ensuring I make the leap between large gaps. These hooks would've been handy in the fire maze, but I wanted to reserve their gas tanks for this return trip.  
Firing off another pair, I weave them between two radio towers and swing myself upwards. The burning city streets below escape my view, and the sparking night sky fills the horizon. Flashes of light, from fire, lightning, and scraping metal, shine in every direction up here.  
The destruction of the world below is merely fallout from the war in the sky.  
To my right is the heroine Frequency, keeping herself aloft with a support hovercraft as she takes on two winged villains with her sound-based attacks.  
To my left is Arm Hydra, using his massive wing-like arms to try and capture a gadget-geared villain.  
And in front of me is someone suicidal enough to fight at this height without any flight-gifted Quirks or support vehicles… Deku is kicking off from one villain to the next, punching and trading blows with nearly ten criminals at once. Each of his strikes is enough to put one of these villains out of commission, but the danger of falling increases with each one knocked out of the sky. He has no other platforms other than them – he has nowhere to go but down, and it's far enough down that even his Quirk won't protect him from damage. The villains probably baited him all the way up here knowing that. And he most likely knew it too, and chased after them regardless – just so that none of them could escape.  
 _The idiot._  
Triggering the front gas valves of my belt, I launch myself backwards. And triggering the back valves at the end of the back-swing, I shoot myself forwards and upwards – removing the locks of my grappling hooks and taking off into the battle-ridden sky. I'm an idiot too, I guess.

I dart at an unknowable speed, seeing the distant figures of the villains turn from tiny dots to fridge-sized monstrosities in only a handful of seconds. The villain closest to me, a beast of a man with cannons for arms, aims and fires both in my direction. At my speed, however, the attack was too little too late. His shots strike down one of his allies instead, as I fly and kick into another one. Something twists below my foot. I bounce off and leap towards the next villain.  
Within three seconds, five villains are knocked out of the sky. One shot down by their own ally, one agonizing over the leg injury I gave them, and three launched down by a powerful air pressure.  
The source of the air pressure looks back at me, and smiles.

"I've got the one behind you!" I yell as I jump away from a villain's chest and throw myself towards him. Deku immediately grabs me with one arm and spins us around to face the target.  
There's a specific reason why I named myself 'Hoplight' by the time I graduated. And it isn't just for the obvious 'hop' or 'light'. A 'hoplite' is a Grecian armored soldier, who often fought with spears and shields. Armoring and arming myself the way that I have, and altering my occupational focus to a life of combat heroism, I've changed nearly every aspect of my identity as a hero – just so I could fight confidently by Deku's side.  
Gripping firmly to a handle hidden beneath my scales, Deku aims, then throws me towards the villain furthest from his reach. I burst forward and kick hard into the fire-breather's stomach. A large gasp of flame belches from his mouth as he's knocked completely out of his flying craft.  
Leaping off the craft, I throw one of my spare grappling hooks towards Deku. He catches it and reels me in immediately, bracing me close to his chest – as cannon-fire blasts into my back.  
The cannon-armed villain is probably smirking in satisfaction, thinking that he just crippled the partner of his greatest enemy. If so, he obviously hasn't heard of how we work.  
Cannon smoke dissipates, revealing Deku a few yards further up, but remaining untouched by the attack. The one in his arms is also untouched, with only slight burn marks on the steel-like carapace of my back. Spinning himself around, he blocks another blow – with me acting as his shield. And he counters by throwing me directly into the attackers – acting as his spear.  
 _This_ is how we work. My gadgets, my gear, my Quirk, my training, and my looks – all are designed to convey my hero name. As the heroine Hoplight, I'm the living shield and spear of the strongest hero in the world.

Three more villains are blown out of the sky, and the rest begin in their retreat for the ground. With me equipped, the villain's projectiles no longer have the advantage against the close-ranged Deku. Now they can only hope that the fall from this height takes us both out. At this height, with no buildings near enough to swing off from, and nothing to cushion our drop – their hopes would be well-placed. Especially for Deku, who'd most likely try to take the brunt of the landing for the both of us.  
But I wasn't optimistic enough to avoid preparing for this.

"Hold onto this latch!" I instruct Deku as I move his hand to a different handle – one located over my left shoulder blade. "And this one!" I pull his other hand to one located over my right shoulder blade. My legs and arms wrap tightly around his sides. "When I say 'go', tug those two hard!"  
Looking at the ground below us increasing in magnification, I search its surfaces for the closest, open landing.  
"There's a building to my left – your right! Momo's Agency, you see it?!" I call out to him through the deafening wind.

"Hero's Rescue? Yeah, I see it!"

"Turn the parachute there and we'll land on the roof!"

"Parachute? What para-"

" **Go!** "

Ignoring his last question and following the instruction, Deku pulls hard. _Thankfully, without his Quirk._ The two handles of my back snap from their positions, and a loud ' _Flap!'_ is heard. Above, a large parachute bursts from the top of my shelled back and nearly yanks me away from Deku's chest. Deku grabs onto me in a panic, then twists us in the direction of the nearing building.  
As the two of us slowly float down to our destination, with the sounds of battle still serenading the Quirk-blasted sky, Deku looks at me softly and smiles. "Thanks for saving me."

Despite the cold, my cheeks feel warm. "… I should get a 'thank you' for saving those people too. You know I wasn't authorized for that." I tell him as I turn my head away in a huff.

"Thanks. I'm really grateful." He pecks my cheek twice.

My face feels a little warmer. I bury it into his neck. " _… I want more than just a kiss later…_ "


	13. Extra Ch2 - Unexpected, Relationship

A minute passes, and several unlocking mechanisms later, the rooftop's solitary door slides open.  
There was practically a full two yards between us and the other side – showing just how thick the door was. I don't think even Deku's 100% can break through that amount of steel… and who knows what else kind of material.  
The one who let us in, standing on the other side of that distant opening, was a genius of crafting and mechanisms – one who could make any sort of door or building impenetrable to most Quirks – and one who owned the rooftop we happened to land on.

Yaoyorozu Momo stares at the two of us with cold, calculating eyes. There's no hint of familiarity or recognition in them. If one didn't know better, it's as if she was greeting a group of strangers, or glaring at a couple of pests. The latter might be more true. We did, after all, land on her roof uninvited, then started pelting sonic booms against her office's window just to get her attention.  
For nearly an hour, Deku and I had been stuck on this Agency's rooftop with no comfortable way down. Having Deku leap onto another rooftop would have led into some property damages, and having me climb down with him on my back is tricky with the surface of this building… Our only available, viable, safe route back to the ground floor was through this Agency's elevator/stairs, which we had no access to. The door into the stairway was locked tight, and knocking on it didn't help any. And the one person we knew who could get us in, wasn't answering our phone calls.  
We even tried knocking on her window with my grappling hooks… but the space between the rooftop and the next floor below was probably twelve yards in length. The fact that none of my grappling hooks could reach it was ridiculous. The fact that the windows could withstand Deku's Smash-blasted booms without even cracking was insane. This building had to be the most secure building in Japan!

Of course it was – this was the _Hero's Rescue_. The only Agency in the world dedicated to rescuing other heroes. As it stands, they're the number one target for villains and crime organizations from all over – so it _has_ to be built to withstand any kind of attack. Nothing short of a nuclear blast could shake this place.  
And nothing short of that would shake its owner's expressions.  
Still staring at us without a frown or a smile, Yaoyorozu glances at each of us, then turns away.  
If I wasn't mistaken, though, I think I just saw her expression change slightly – when she had looked at Deku…  
"Can't you use the front door like everyone else?" she says, her voice not betraying what I might have seen.

"We kind of fell from the sky." Deku says with a laugh.

"Oh? Were you the one throwing villains down from there?" Yaoyorozu shakes her head and gestures for us to follow her.

We walk down several flights of stairs – two, possibly three floor's worth – not spotting any doorways or passageways as we went. The entrance to the floor below must be further down that I thought. As I trace my hands across the railings, something about them catches my attention too – one of them is shifting with the pressure I put on it. Looking at the rail more closely, I quickly notice that there are hinges at its corner. There's hinges on every corner…  
 _These stairs were designed to collapse!  
_ This building isn't 'secure', it's absolutely paranoid! How far down do these stairs drop? I look over the railing warily.

"Please refrain from doing that." Yaoyorozu's statement makes me jump. "We had to disengage several of our heroes to secure their landings. We're the Hero's Rescue. Not the Villain's Rescue."  
I sigh with relief, realizing that she wasn't speaking to me.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to trouble you." Deku says with another nervous laugh.

Yaoyorozu stops in her tracks – with us jolting behind her. Her hand grips firmly to the railing, and she begins to turn… then her hand loosens, and she continues walking down the steps again.  
What I saw before wasn't mistaken – she's _definitely_ reacting to Deku.  
That means something _really did_ happen between them…

A few years ago, back in our second year of U.A., Midoriya Izuku and Yaoyorozu Momo had gotten caught up in a strange set of circumstances. Though they no longer shared attendance in the same classrooms, the two ended up seeing each other more often than not. One coincidental event somehow led into another, and the two of them became very close friends halfway through the semester. They started speaking with each other during class breaks, attended hero conventions together, and then…  
… and then Momo suddenly stopped talking to Izuku. And she stopped talking to me. She stopped talking to Toru, to Mina, to every single one of her old friends from Class 1-A. Then she transferred herself to the Support Course without warning.  
And that was the last time we ever saw her, until the day of our graduation.

Whatever happened between her and Deku that year, made Yaoyorozu Momo turn from a kind and sociable mentor, into an absolute recluse. Not just in her school life, but also in the career she held afterwards.  
To this day, the public never sees her, not even the press. Even within her own organization, she's spoken of like a popular myth, rather than as its acting CEO. And no matter how many awards or accolades her business receives from whatever organization or individual – she never accepts them personally. Only her rotating stand-ins are seen in her place, and even they can't say for sure if they've met her personally.  
Yaoyorozu's solitary nature makes her rather _infamous_ in the hero world.  
The fact that the two of us are walking and talking with her in the flesh is a little exciting… It's depressing to think about, but it's very likely that Deku and I have been the only people she's met face-to-face in over a year.  
She was probably only willing to expose herself like this because it was _Deku_ on the other side of that rooftop door.

I often wonder what happened between them… Poor Deku got harassed for it for nearly two years by Mina and the rest. And yet… he never talked about it.  
No matter what sort of treatments he received, what kind of threats were thrown in his face, or how honest their pleadings were, he never spoke a word about what happened between him and Yaoyorozu. The most he's ever said about it, was that it would hurt Yaoyorozu if anyone found out.  
Ochaco and I respected his silence. Neither of us pushed for him to tell us. But it's not like we didn't want to know. _Of course I want to know._ I want to know how the genius of our class was clearly shaken by the _'most nervous boy she's ever known'_ – her words, not mine. I want to know what could have happened to makes someone so influential go so far as to lock everyone out of her life – her friends, her family, even her employees. I want to know why my husband goes quiet every time someone mentions her name. I want to know everything there is to that story – every last detail.  
But here I am now, right beside the two of them, and though the answer is just one inch away from me, one question away from my knowledge – I still can't bring myself to utter it. For my husband's sake, whom I respect and love. For Yaoyorozu's sake, whom I still consider a dear friend of mine.  
Watching them struggle around each other like this, though, makes me think it would better for them to just settle their differences here and now.

"Please look away." Yaoyorozu says, snapping me out of my distant thoughts. Deku flinches – seems he was lost in thought too.  
Deku looks away immediately. I blink in Yaoyorozu's direction first, finding myself curious – then look away.  
There's a digital wall lock in front of her. Yaoyorozu wanted to make sure no one found out how she opens it. Not that it would matter if anyone found out – considering what her Quirk is, it's likely that only _she's_ able to produce whatever key, or card, or material this door requires to open. _No one_ would be able to break in without her wanting them to.

…

I just realized that she _wants_ us to come in.  
I'm sure she could have provided us with devices to get ourselves off her roof – parachutes or gliders, maybe. But instead, she's letting us into her office! This is making me nervous. Out of defensive habit, my hand reaches for a trigger on my belt.  
A loud _whirr_ ing sound is heard – causing both Deku and I to jump.

"Refrain from posturing your body in a way that could be interpreted as a threat. There are hidden weapons locked onto you until you return yourself to a natural pose." Yaoyorozu says coolly, "These weapons _are_ lethal."

 _What in the world happened between you two, Deku?!_

* * *

There wasn't much to Yaoyorozu's office. Literally. A three-tier filing cabinet, a basic brown table, an unimpressive laptop, a single-tone printer, two fold-out chairs, and a potted plant. That was all. Not even an executive chair or telephone to help tie everything together.  
What would people think if they saw that _this_ was the CEO's office of one of the most politically-influential Agencies in the world? I suppose if you never let anyone in here, you'd never have to worry about what anyone thinks.  
But never mind that – this setup is seriously strange. The Yaoyorozu I knew was never a minimalist. She was always _excessive_ in her furnishings. If this layout is supposed to be some kind of look into her mind, then what's this terrible plainness supposed to reveal?

"I apologize for the mess." she has the nerve to say as she moves a small stack of papers to one side of her desk. Or was that her attempt at a joke? "Would you two like to visit our medical station before you leave… or perhaps our cafeteria? You'll need clearance badges for both."

"W-We don't need anything, really. We should be getting back to helping with the operation as soon as possible." I quickly voice while trying to hide my growing anxiety.  
Not much, I've noticed, phases me. But this room? And how casual Yaoyorozu is with us seeing it in the state it's in? – This all terrifies me, for some reason.

" _Woah…_ " Deku gasps in interest. "This brings back memories."

"Hm?" Yaoyorozu turns towards him and tilts her head. _What are you doing, Deku? It seriously feels like she's going to lock us in here and never let us out!_

"It's exactly like how you drew it in the sketchbook!" he exclaims. "I know you said that you didn't need more than this to start the place – but I didn't think you'd keep it this way."

Yaoyorozu… is smiling? _No_ , it's not quite a smile. " _You remember._ " she replies to him softly.

Remember? Deku knew about this office? And it's total lack of furniture?  
And _'the place'_? As in – the Hero's Rescue? He knew about her plans for it?  
That would mean… that before they had their falling out, Yaoyorozu had told Deku about this office, and her business – showed their blueprints to him, even. As far as I'm aware, the two never got back into contact between then and now. Which would mean that long before her graduation – since our second year in U.A., Yaoyorozu had planned to create this Agency…  
So then her transfer to the Support Course wasn't 'out of nowhere'. Had the falling out between them never occurred, Yaoyorozu would have most likely told the rest of us about the transfer… Mina, Toru, Jiro, and I wouldn't have bothered sulking over her sudden leaving – we would have been by her side, cheering for her all the way. If she had only told us. If only the two of them remained friends.  
Not knowing the 'what' or 'why' behind any of this is excruciating. If I have to spend another four years in the dark after hearing what little I've heard today, I'm not sure if I can keep myself from interrogating Deku. Or Yaoyorozu. _This…_ This concerns a private event my husband's had with another woman! I have every right to know! _I…_ I swallow hard.  
"Yaomo-"

"Tsuyu." Yaoyorozu interrupts me with a direct glance.

"Y-Yes?"

My nervous panic is answered with confident action – Yaoyorozu walks briskly to one side of her office and places her hands against an unmarked portion of the wall. A square-shaped tile pops away from the wall-space beside her hands, then moves itself aside. A deep hole is found in its original space.  
Yaoyorozu reaches inside and pulls out a small container.  
Turning back to face us, she slides the square tile back into its slot and approaches me. "Midoriya asked me to make this for you." she says as the container is placed into my hands.

"That's –" Deku starts.

"A lighter version of your current scale armor." Yaoyorozu finishes.

I look down at my black and green suit in sudden confusion. " _This_ armor? But this was made after –"

"After I had refused to give Midoriya the original." she finishes for me – though with an explanation I didn't expect. "He most likely commissioned someone else to make it for you. Though I doubt anyone could figure out a way to make the scales as light as I had designed it. This one's even more durable, I'd imagine."

Unrolling the fabric from the container, I match the upper-portion of the suit to the height of my shoulders.  
It _is_ a lighter version of my scale armor. An _exact_ replica of it, even… aside from its surprising thinness and weight. I try to bend one of the scales on its side – and it refuses to give. It even lacks the most major flaw of my armor. I'm astonished. By its weight, its durability, its design, and… its exact specifications.  
I had always thought that Deku designed this suit by himself – but I suppose, thinking about it, that wouldn't make much sense. Deku is clever and creative, but he's no Support Course graduate. The blueprints he had for this were far too technical and beautifully-drawn, compared to what he's written and doodled in his Hero Notes, at least. A collaboration with an expert makes much more sense.

Yaoyorozu and Deku had designed this suit just for me… My first and only Pro Hero costume…

Knowing my Deku, he must have been crushed with guilt to go behind Yaoyorozu's back to commission this. No, _no_ , knowing him – he would have definitely asked her first. And even with her approval, he would have felt terrible for it. To give their joint design to someone else was probably unthinkable for the both of them… but Deku would have done it for me, and Yaoyorozu would have let him – even if it furthered the distance between them. That must have been why he gave me such a worried look when he first presented it to me – and why he kept asking if I really did like it. It wasn't just a heart-felt, thought-out present from him. It was a personal, mutually-made and carefully-balanced present from two people that cared so much for me.  
Except a major part of its production was missing… Yaoyorozu was supposed to make it. The suit I'm wearing is a knock-off compared to the one I'm holding now. Because the one in my hands carries both of their feelings for me.  
A horrible sensation wrenches at my heart. More suffocating than the feeling of betrayal I had felt when I wondered over what truly happened between Deku and Yaoyorozu – was this intense sense of sorrow filling up inside of me. I now fully realize the gravity of this gift – what it meant for her to hold onto it for so long, and what it means for me to receive it now. The kind and caring Yaomomo, my former classmate and dear friend, had made this suit just for me, with our friendship and careers in mind. But that woman was gone now – taken away by a moment I never knew.  
I don't know what had happened between her and my husband… But whatever it was, it was important enough to her that she willingly distanced herself from Deku, from me, from her friends, from the rest of the world, and from herself. Something had pushed her to hollow herself out, and never fill herself back in. Whatever it was – it must have been too much for her. For the both of them.  
And I'm an awful person for wanting to pry…

"Thank you…" is all I can say. If I say anymore, then I might end up crying in front of her.

Yaomomo smiles at me… It doesn't look like a smile. It looks nonplussed in its expression. But I now understand that it's the most she can manage beyond a frown these days. It's a terribly sad and lonely smile. I want to reach out to her – to tell her that she's still one of my dear friends, and that we can go back to the way things were… But it isn't my place to do so. If anyone has to bridge this horrible gap in front of us – it has to be her or Deku.  
"Take care of Midoriya." is all Yaomomo replies with. It's all she can manage to say without reaching over the gap. For whatever reason she has within herself, she doesn't want to repair, or replace, what's been broken inside of her. Not yet, at least. Hopefully, maybe, one day, she will. But for today, our conversation as old friends ends here… She turns around and walks to her table, focusing her attention onto her laptop.  
Before we can take that as our cue to leave, Yaomomo quickly waves us over and spins the laptop to face us.

It's a screen filled with live security cameras, albeit zoomed in – signifying that there must be more than what's being shown. In the footage she's pointing at, is an arguing couple… in what looks like the building's lobby.  
 _Wait, that's not a couple._ It's Uravity… and Bombing Run.  
I sigh. This is embarrassing. "Sorry. _Sorry._ This happens all the time." I grumble with annoyance, "We'll handle them."

Deku laughs nervously and bows. "I'll… _um…_ We'll be going."

Yaomomo gives a swift, curt nod in our direction, then quietly waves. Her sealed lips show that she's trying, with uncomfortable effort, to keep herself from adding any more words to this conversation. A silent goodbye is all she wants between us.

As we head towards the office's no-handled doors – which were remotely opened before we could figure out how – Deku turns back and shouts, "If Yoro has the time – Duke is interested in making a request!"

To my surprise, Yaomomo immediately breaks her silence. With a broken voice, she shakily replies to him, " _Th-Then… Then he'll have to send an email, like every other customer._ "

"He will!" Deku says with a gleam in his eye.

The cryptic language shared was meant for their ears only. But the two of them were horrible with their coding. It doesn't take much for me to figure out who 'Yoro' and 'Duke' are. The only question is – why _those_ names?


	14. Extra Ch3 - Mutual, Disagreement

The secretary near Yaomomo's office quietly watched as we passed her by. With her mouth slightly ajar, and her hand hovering over a still-ringing phone – 'disbelief' would be an appropriate way to describe the woman's expression. Similar expressions were thrown our way as we traveled down to the lobby. Passengers on the express elevator, guards on the business floor, passengers on the public elevator, and nearly half the lobby – each and every person that was within a viewable distance, stopped in their tracks to view us at their distance.  
No one ever comes out of the CEO's office – since no one ever enters it in the first place.  
A popular rumor that took root because of this fact was that the office had never even been occupied – 'it's always been, and still is, completely empty'. The supposed single occupant of said office, the company's illustrious CEO, Yaoyorozu Momo was never seen entering or exiting its mechanically-sealed doors. So the logical conclusion had to be that even she wasn't even holed away in it. She must have been located elsewhere, giving her orders through a privately-monitored chain of command – and the CEO Office simply acted as a physical reminder of her position in the business. This had to be the case, since there was no plausible explanation as to how Yaoyorozu remains alive to this day. Even an over-accomplished genius like her had to eat, right? So when does she ever get food, if no one ever delivers to her doors, and no one's ever seen her leave them?  
At this point, these logical explanations are completely debunked, and more questions have appeared than answers. Because right in front of everyone's eyes were two non-company individuals wearing the 'mythical' Golden Badges. All-security clearance badges that, according to the overheard gasps and whispers surrounding us, were personally given by Yaoyorozu, and no one else. Only one other person in the company was given this badge, and even they had confirmed that they only received it from the CEO herself. To see another set of walking, badge-wearing examples now proved two things against the innumerable rumors in this Agency: their CEO actually exists, and is still, somehow, located within her office.  
The fact that Yaomomo's mythical existence to her own employees was so legendary, that even the physical presence of a living Hero-legend like my husband spurred no reaction from them, is as impressive as it is depressing. The 'strongest hero in the world', Deku, was standing right in front of these people, and all they cared to look at was the fancy, plastic clip on his breast. Momo really should come out and meet her employees.  
Hard stares and excited murmurs continued to follow us as we walked down the large, open hall. At its end, or rather, at its start, these attentions quickly shifted away. The shocked gossips from the majority of the lobby quickly lost momentum on this side – where a loud and intrusive argument was forcing everyone into a stiffened silence. Most nearby passersby did their best to walk around the scene without getting involved, while the crowding security guards did everything in their power to involve themselves with the scene.  
Bombing Run's fiery and aggressive attitude wasn't going to let anyone get past, however. People who attempted to skirt around him were abruptly stopped with his explosions. Guards who tried to approach him were abruptly stopped with his explosions. Working heroes and heroines that tried to calm him were abruptly stopped with his explosions. Everyone around the furious hero had become his enemy, as everyone had 'gotten in the way' of his real target: Uravity – who was standing her ground against him, in stern defiance.

This, depressingly, wasn't an unfamiliar scene for Deku and I. With more instances than there are fingers attached to my hands, the hero Bombing Run had stalked Uravity with a burning bone to pick. She would flee from him in response, then, as always, end up standing her ground – coincidentally by the entrance of whatever building she had walked into. Then the two would continue in their stacking arguments until either Deku or I got between them.  
Nothing less would stop them. Because nothing less was what the two were arguing about.

Bakugo Katsuki, hero-named Bombing Run, was a full-fledged, battle-based hero that earned his place through his own efforts and accomplishments. He currently works in the field as a freelance hero – belonging to no groups or individuals outside of himself.  
Uraraka Ochaco, hero-named Uravity, was a full-fledged, rescue-based heroine that found her place through her own efforts and friendly relations. She currently works in the field as part of a hero team – belonging to her Agency and teammates.  
In their heroic careers and outside of it, the two former classmates had little in common. What they sought as heroes, what their interests were, what foods they preferred, very few things – if not barely anything at all – matched between their tastes and methods. This was especially true when it came to their individual approaches to heroism on the field. Uravity was a slow and methodical heroine that focused her efforts in supporting others. Bombing Run was a quick and erratic hero that always aimed to solve things by himself.  
So when the two of them were forced to work together on a rescue mission two months ago… You can imagine the surprise on their faces when they realized just how well they complemented each other. The rescue mission was a complete success – no casualties, no injuries, an acceptable amount of property damage, plus a lead to a more dire criminal case had been discovered by them – all achieved in under an hour. Results like these are near impossible to pull off – even between Deku and I.  
Most people would rethink the position they hold within their careers in the face of this undisputed success. A lone worker would consider joining themselves to a group. A team player would consider transferring to a new team. This sort of consideration didn't just hold within it the obvious merits of the most recent accolades, but it carried with it the promises of better, more consistent, future results.  
In other words: if Uravity and Bombing Run working together meant that more lives would be saved than when the two were working apart – wouldn't it be better for them to pair up as a team?  
The answer should have been obvious for both Uravity and Bombing Run.  
But it wasn't. Bakugo was willing to give up his lone wolf streak, all for the sake of better results as a hero. Ochaco, however, had no desire to abandon her position between her teammates – Deku and myself – no matter what the results promised. This was her choice, and that was his. And this was what their arguments always escalated over.

"So you just gonna' waste yer life away bein' a third wheel?!"

"At least I don't waste it chasing after one!"

"If chasing a damn wheel down the street means one more villain's locked up, I'd do it every day!"

"Maybe you wouldn't have to do it every day if you just found your own!"

"It ain't like you belong to those green-freaks!"

"Well it _'ain't'_ like I belong to you!"

"You don't gotta' belong to no one! It's just work!"

"Then act professional and take a 'no' for once!"

" **GUYS!** " I yell as a plant myself between them. Bakugo's ready to blast me aside, but when he notices who he's aiming at – he drops his arm.

"What do you want, frog face?! You come here to die?!" he roars. Immature in his threats, as always.

"I want you guys to stop yelling in public places already! It's embarrassing having to babysit you two."

"H-Hey!" Ochaco whines.

"It's embarrassing having to follow this girl around just to have a decent conversation!" Bakugo yells as he stomps one of his feet on the ground. A smoldering ring of ash kicks up from he stepped. "She's the one who keeps parking herself in front of doors just to yammer at me!"

I shake my head. "I didn't ask who started it, Run. I know that Uravity tends to hide behind people in enclosed spaces."

"Hey! No, I don't!" Ochaco whines again.

"Then tell her to quit hiding like a coward! She's a damn hero! She oughtta' act like one!" he barks, with a slightly less furious tone. Being told he's right always calms him down a notch. One more notch should make him easier to talk down.

"She wouldn't hide if you didn't chase. You know she scares easily."

" _Pheh!_ Too much time between you dweebs makes her spineless."

"So then give her space to grow one. Call her when you're home."

"She don't ever pick up!"

"I'll make sure she picks up."

"You better!" he yells as he turns. The slump in his shoulders signals his satisfaction with my answer. Pushing aside the locked-out employees, he looks back in our direction one more time and says, "I'm calling tonight. Pick up or I'm blowing down your door."

The tense atmosphere in the area immediately drops once the grumbling hero walks out of view. _Hero's Rescue_ guards and employees nervously roam back into their expected schedules – albeit late, and in a hurry. None of them stop to wonder or converse over what had just happened… because, for the company's sake, it wasn't worth giving notice. Exciting the tabloids and online rumor mills never ended well for larger companies, let alone news-famous heroes.  
It's times like these that I really appreciated the culture of our city. I've heard that in other places it's common sense to spread hero gossip, and that it's uncommon to discourage nosey press. I wouldn't know how I'd live my life if I had rude paparazzi following me around everywhere. It's already draining enough having to deal with _respectful_ journalists.  
Now that we've dealt with the issue in the lobby, we can finally return to –

"Ts– _Er_ , Hoplight!"

"No need to shout, I'm right next to you." I turn and face Uravity.

Pretending as if her shout hadn't already caught unwanted attention, Uravity leans in close and hisses, " _You don't actually expect me to talk to Bakugo, do you?!_ "

"I don't see why not."

" _You know exactly why not! I already gave him my answer a hundred times and he still won't leave me alone! And you already know how I feel about this – I'm_ _ **not**_ _leaving the team!_ "

I sigh. It's already been a long day, and it feels like it's only going to get longer. If there was someone around with a time-bending Quirk, I'd ask them to fast-forward to the part where I crawl into bed. But as it is, the day is still crawling along, and there's still a lot more for us to do.  
"We can talk about this later, Uravity. For now – we need to get back to work."

She blinks, her face returning to the professional expression expected from an upstanding Pro Hero, then nods. "I came in here looking for you two, actually. When I couldn't find you in the safe zone, I flew back to where we separated – and that's when I saw you landing on this building's roof." From her pocket, she produces a neatly-folded paper and hands it to me. She doesn't even give me the chance to read it before she explains what's written inside: "Endeavor Agency reported that they rounded up the last of the suspects in our area. And Grape's Agency officially picked up the search and rescue efforts from where we left off. All that's left for us is reporting back to our Agency."

"Does the military police need support in perimeter patrols?" Deku finally joins the conversation. He had been standing awkwardly to the side, acting as our stiff bodyguard – just in case Bombing Run got riled up for whatever reason. With the danger passed, he seems to have relaxed. "What about the cleanup crew? We can assist them with moving the rubble."  
Typical Deku – always looking to for a way to help others. It's a terrible virtue to have when everyone _wants_ your help, but no one really _needs_ it. If he were allowed to, he'd help everyone in this city and then some… He would never be off the clock as a hero.

But with me around, of course he isn't allowed to. I press a button in my belt – jabbing his rib with one of my grappling hooks. "You heard Urar– _er,_ Uravity. We have to report to the Agency."

He holds onto his rib with a gasp – showing immense pain. Despite what most people think, Deku _is_ susceptible to damage from regular impacts. His Quirk needs to be active in order for his muscles to glance off blows. It's only during times like these, while his guard is down, that I can get him to snap out of his hero bravado with a hard smack to the ego.  
"But what about –"

I threaten to press the button again before he can finish that sentence. He closes his mouth immediately.  
"If you want to go gallivanting as the hero everyone can walk all over, then you can quit the Agency and work on your own. I'm sure Bombing Run would love that. He'd get to start fights with you without Agency relations getting in the way." I say to him as I detach the shell from my back and look into its hidden compartments. Pulling out what I need – a small communicator – I place it between us and turn it on. While it begins its connection process, I continue my lecture to Deku, "But right now, we're employees to a company. And as employees, we follow regulations. The mission we were sent here for is complete. We secured a safety zone for the military police, and we incapacitated the villains. Well, Endeavor Agency finished that job for us, but what's done is done. _Our_ Agency's rule for post-mission is to halt all hero duties and report results immediately."

" _Okay, okay…_ " Deku sighs with defeat. He must have heard this reminding lecture from me more than fifty times. I wouldn't need to keep bringing it up if he wouldn't keep trying to ignore our Agency's policies. He's already made _me_ go against company policy today… making me escort those civilians.

" _If –_ If you want to quit the Agency, I will too!" Uravity blurts out.

"Don't give him ideas."

"Why don't we just start our own Agency?" she adds in, "Grape Juice and Yaoyorozu started their own."

"Need I remind you that Grape Juice and Yaoyorozu funded their Agencies out of their own pockets? We don't have that kind of money."

"W-Well if we take out a loan…"

"Living our lives as heroes in debt doesn't sound appealing."

"We'd pay it off eventually."

"With how much property damage Deku causes? No way."

Deku flinches. "I'm working on it!"

"Well until you're done working on it, we can continue working here. Besides, there's nothing wrong with working under our Agency. We've got vacation time piling up, medical –" A cheerful, musical chime plays. "We're patched in." I say as I pull the three of us to one corner of the lobby.

Sitting ourselves down on waiting seats and placing the communicator on a coffee table in front of us, we look over a small screen with professional interest. A bright light flickers, and a faint, semi-hologram of our employer appears just below eye level.  
" _How are my twinkling stars doing today?_ " Aoyama Yuga winks at us in greeting.


	15. Extra Ch4 - Responsibility, Shared

Aoyama Yuga, former hero name 'Can't Stop Twinkling', was a classmate and friend of ours during our first year in U.A. He was always a unique character – outlandishly flashy and a try-hard in impressing others… even though his vain tendencies and gaudy appearance repelled more than attracted his classmates' attentions. Underneath all that unnecessary glam, however, was a selfless and appealing human being that cherished the camaraderie of his friends. And underneath all that 'perfect' bravado, was also a frail and worrisome coward. Despite being accepted into the Hero Course with a notably destructive Quirk, the laser-navel'd hero always shrunk into a timid creature whenever he was faced with danger.  
If someone told us during our first year in U.A. that, in the future, Aoyama would give up his chance in becoming a Pro Hero – we wouldn't have been surprised at all. If that same someone told us that instead he would be running his own Hero Agency – we would have been a little confused, but believed the idea anyways. If, however, they told us that we'd become Pro Heroes that worked under his disco-ball-roofed Agency – we would have thought that this 'someone' was just an insane and terrible comedian.  
And yet, four years into the future, here we are – Pro Heroes that are employed under the world-famous Sparkling Agency – managed by _the_ infamous Aoyama Yuga of our former class 1-A.

Truth be told, this Agency is only 'world-famous' because Deku, Uravity, and I are its MVPs. Our reputations alone would be enough to put any small Agency on the world map. That's not bragging – _that's a fact_. And _that_ statement isn't a jab at the other heroes who work with us in this Agency – of course not. They're all talented heroes with amazing potentials! It's just that…  
 _Well…_ Frankly put, the other heroes are very-literally here 'just for looks'.  
Costumes, Quirks, hero names, personality, even the décor of the Agency's lobby and few facilities, all inwardly-emphasized and outwardly-advertised their inherent or obtained _'sparklabilities'_ more than anything else. That's not to say that the heroes of this Agency, or its things, didn't serve a function beyond 'standing out' – they just placed the trait of 'standing out' on an equal pedestal as their functional purposes.  
Only by our own stand-out reputations within Quirk magazines and online popularity polls, did Deku, Uravity, and I fit in with the rest of this place. In all else, _especially in looks_ … we stood out like muddy rocks in a polished marble collection.  
Had Aoyama forced us to don similarly blinding costumes and names as his other heroes, I'm not sure we would have stayed. Out of respect for the friendship and camaraderie we had as former classmates, he allowed us to keep our single-word names and dull-colored costumes. He even custom-ordered unornamented support items for us. No random shining studs or reflective glitters graced our 'dimming' features. It did hurt the oddly-specific, target demographic of his Agency, but he put up with it.  
And the only thing he required in return for this fashion-travesty – was for us to continue being his friend.  
If we hadn't joined this Agency for our own, personal reasons, that simple and sweet requirement would have won us over. I mean, we would have remained Aoyama's friend either way, but the condition he gave had more depth to it than that. Rather than simply requiring us to be his friends, I think what Aoyama sought most out of us was a familiar friend. Running your own Agency can be stressful and isolating… so knowing that a familiar face will always be there to greet you every working day – it must be a great comfort.  
The employer, director, manager, and supervisor of our first Agency outside of graduation, hired us simply because he didn't want to be left alone.  
Our own reason for joining the Sparkling Agency, however, is far more personal – and not-so-simple to summarize. And that reason revolved around a decision Deku and I made for the sake of our dear friend, Uravity.

As normal, everyday civilians, Midoriya Izuku and Midoriya Tsuyu are a young, loving, married couple. While Uraraka Ochaco is a friendly, respectful, single woman. Similar labels are attached to them even when they're members of a hero trio – with Deku and Hoplight as the inseparable husband and wife duo, and Uravity standing beside them as their cheerful ally.  
From all possible viewpoints of this team of three, there was always a painfully obvious standout among them. Uraraka/Uravity was seen as the tag-along or drag-along friend of a recently-married couple. And in a non-gossip-mongering interpretation of this awkward relationship, most people assumed that the trio only stuck together out of respect for their old friendships. Otherwise, one of them would have left out of embarrassment – or would have been kicked out for intimacy's sake.  
But… this analysis isn't quite correct.  
Even the scandalous rumor-mill version, _where Uravity is a secret mistress of Deku's_ , though closer to the reality of the situation – fails to grasp the real truth between them.  
No, those ideas would be easier to express around others… The real truth is much stranger, and much more awkward than fiction.

The actual truth behind this strange and awkward arrangement is that…  
Uraraka Ochaco is in love with my husband, Midoriya Izuku. But she's no one's lover.  
And I, Midoriya Tsuyu, am undeniably aware of this fact. I had even supported it.

Those facts alone would cause tabloid magazines to explode in sales, if the reporters ever caught wind. And the fact that the world-famous Deku and his wife Hoplight have done nothing in response to this knowledge – would destroy the respects that anyone held for either of them. Worse yet, Uravity would be treated as a pariah by her peers, and even by those she rescues.  
However, no one in the public knows about her attraction to my husband. And if things went as they should: no one would ever have to know.  
But for Uraraka, who had kept these feelings bottled up for three years and still hadn't let them go… Someone had to know. And she had to be able to express it, openly, eventually. For the sake of her emotional stability – she had to be honest with others. For the sake of her sanity – she had to be honest with herself.

Over a year ago, while Izuku and I were still engaged as fiancé and fiancée, Ochaco confessed these feelings to me in private… Out of respect for being her crush's soon-to-be wife, and for being her best and closest friend – I _had_ to be the first one she told this to. And if I wouldn't accept it: then I would have been the last to know.  
Spending those three years with her, talking and chatting with her about Izuku whenever he wasn't around, having her confide in me about ' _this friend of hers_ liking someone who was already taken' multiple times – the 'surprising' news really wasn't much of a surprise for me. The only astonishing thing about the confession, was that she made it perfectly clear to me that she had no intention of getting between us, before, during, or after the wedding – she had no plans at all to try to win him over, nor any plans to abandon these emotions. All she wanted, was for her to be able to be completely honest with me.  
Though it would have been terribly abnormal for anyone to accept this situation: I respected and accepted her confession, and held nothing against her for it. If her intentions and promises were true – then there was no harm in her attraction towards my soon-to-be husband. And at the very least: these feelings would finally be out in the open, and not held quietly behind my back. As my best friend and confidant, I completely empathized with Ochaco in her feelings, and trusted her to keep her word.

With my strong encouragement, Izuku became the second person she confessed this to. I didn't want any secrets held from my fiancé – and I wanted my best girl-friend to be able to say whatever she wanted to say, whenever she wanted to say it, around either of us. So whether or not this made him uncomfortable: I needed him to hear out her years-long-protected confession.  
He didn't take it so well. Flip-flopping between his attempts to either reject or run away from her, Izuku had tried his best to show his loyalty towards me as my husband-to-be – blocking out all possible distractions and temptations from other women, even if it came from a dear friend of his. But this earnestness only made things worse for him, as Ochaco stated, on several occasions, that her feelings 'would remain the same even if she was rejected, even if he ran away from her', and that she 'loved him _for_ his unwavering loyalty' towards me.  
After about ten cycles of this futile run-and-chase, Izuku finally gave in and accepted her feelings for what they were. It was an awkward and uneasy acceptance, but it still counted as an acceptance. Ochaco genuinely loved Izuku, and he quickly learned that he couldn't change that – he could only make it stronger, more obsessive, by turning it away. Because he still cared for her greatly as a friend, and he couldn't stand breaking her heart nearly every day, he surrendered his walled-off hesitations, and let her love him.

The third to find out about all this… was Aoyama Yuga.  
During one of her chasing confessions, Ochaco had blurted out her feelings in full force towards Deku. And it took both her and Deku a full minute to notice that Aoyama had been standing beside them in the recently locked room. By the time they had noticed, it was already too late for them to 'clear the misunderstanding'.  
As odd as it was for a sparkling-costumed boy to remain hidden in a dark-colored room, nothing could be odder than when the same attention-loving boy admitted that he would tell no one of what he'd heard in there. Now and again after the incident, he'd give each of us knowing glances – whether this was done in jest or encouragement, none of us knew. Yet outside of that, he was true to his word and he never told a soul.  
And so, without any one of us intending this turn of events, Aoyama Yuga had become a part of this confusing, hard-to-explain secret.

After these confessions, Uraraka became much more cheerful and spunky in her attitude, on and off-duty. She was always a lovable heroine in the public's eyes, but the new change vastly boosted her rank in the heroine popularity polls. In private, in front of only me and Deku, she had become far more fun-loving and teasing. It made her even easier to talk with – which I didn't know was possible – and turned her into a serial joker. Seeing her that way, grinning and laughing without any reservation around us, made me see just how much of a burden those locked-up feelings were for her. It was as if the old Uraraka was suffering from malnourishment in comparison to how she flourished that day. Any feelings of uncertainty I held against her and my husband getting closer with each talk, seemed to vanish in the instants I heard her joking with us and cheering us on.  
I really _liked_ this new Uraraka… No, when I thought over it seriously: I _loved_ her.  
She had been my best, and closest female friend for years – but after the confession, she was more akin to a very close blood relative. I could no longer see a perfect, happy family life with Deku, without having Uraraka beside us. And though it was uncomfortable knowing that she was only like this because she loved my husband as much as I did… I didn't want her to change that. The fact that she loved him made her closer to me than any best, female friend I've ever had. In a way, in my desire to keep her as she was – I _wanted_ her to love my husband, _always_.  
And out of that want, and for reasons my husband held himself, the two of us requested to join Aoyama's Hero Agency, and invited Ochaco to join us. We were welcomed in without hesitation. And it was here, within the walls of the only place in the world that knew about our taboo relationship, Ochaco could continue being herself without holding back – and Deku and I wouldn't find ourselves worried over what other people thought about her, the two of us, or the three of us.  
In many ways, the three of us _owed_ Aoyama for _his_ friendship. Without him and his Agency accepting us in, we would have felt utterly burdened during our debut as heroes. Out there in the world of Hero Agencies, Associations, and freelancing, there's always a constant pressure to conform to the public's views of you. If we were to struggle against those expectations on a daily work basis, just to protect, and keep pure, the bond that was shared between us – then there's a strong chance that one of us would have buckled under the pressure, and the Uraraka Ochaco I knew and loved would have disappeared entirely.  
I didn't want that.  
Deku didn't want that.  
And of course Ochaco didn't want that.

"Deku-Deku! What did you write in A-3?"

"A-3? Oh, _whoops!_ I totally missed that one. AAH! I have to start all over again!"

"You gotta' pay attention, silly Deku-Deku."

"What's with the 'Deku-Deku' now?"

"You don't like it, Deku-Deku?"

"Until today, you've been calling me 'honey'. It took me forever to get used to that…"

"You wanna' always be known as 'honey', Deku-Deku?"

"GAH! Stop calling him 'Deku-Deku'! You're going to make me start saying it!" I yell with annoyed frustration, "You already got me calling him _'Deku'_ all the time now!"

"It's his hero name, yanno. Childhood name, too."

"Well, he's not a hero or a child right now. He's off-the-clock Izuku, who needs to fill out his big-boy forms before tomorrow." I grumble as I close a window on my laptop's screen and open another. I finished my online forms hours ago. "And you shouldn't be copying his notes, Choco. Just type down the villains you remember fighting."

Ochaco pouts at me from behind the couch. "How come I can't call him 'Deku-Deku', but you can call me 'Choco'?"

"Because you keep eating all the chocolates in the fridge."

" _One time!_ And I said I was sorry!"

"Actually it was two times." Dek– I mean, _Izuku_ says, "It was two times this month, and two times last month."

" _You're_ a two-times!" Choco exclaims as she tosses a book at him. She misses completely. " _Er…_ Two-timer. _Two-timeser?_ Ah whatever, you get what I mean." she misses with the joke as well.

Before he could retaliate with a tease, Izuku looks over at the empty seat next to me. " _Oh!_ Ochacolate, your phone is ringing."

"Don't call me that, Deku-Deku!" she huffs as she pretends to throw another book at him. Dissatisfied at his non-reaction, she stands up to peek over the couch. Her eyes quickly spot the vibrating phone… then her throat lets out a long, hoarse groan. She sinks back to the floor.

I look by my lap and find out the reason for her groaning. "You better answer it." I tell her as I dangle the phone over her head.

" _I don't wanna'!_ " Choco whines cutely.

"I promised him that I'd make you."

"You shouldn't promise him anything. I don't wanna' talk to 'im."

"Would you rather he stalk you on our next mission?"

Ochaco growls and snatches the phone from my hand. " _Fine!_ But don't be gettin' upset if you hear me yelling." She shoves herself into one of the private reading nooks and closes the door behind her.

I doubt I'd be upset if I heard her yelling – I expect her to yell. If anything, I'd be surprised if I heard her at all. The door has a large glass window and a flimsy lock, but it's still designed for complete sound-proofing. And considering that it was advertised to _'have full-protection against eavesdropping Quirks'_ , I'd imagine she'd have to be as loud as Present Mic for me to hear anything.  
Watching her plunge into an XL-sized foam cushion, surrounded by three medium-height, filled-to-the-brim bookshelves, and bathing herself in the bright moonlight provided by a large, angular window – I'm visually reminded just how luxurious this lounge area is. The fancy reading nooks, with their bookshelves and foam cushions, alongside their convenient soundproof doors – aren't ours. The white and silver lounge room that they were attached to, and where we've made ourselves comfortable in – also isn't ours. All of these are a set labeled as the 'Reading Room', and it's one of three rec rooms located inside the Sparkling Agency.  
After mission days are done, and sometimes before they begin, the three of us spend our recreation time in the Reading Room, goofing off and chatting within one of its many snug corners. In the Agency, with its lobby, three rec rooms, and two facilities, there's plenty of room for us to roam around, plenty of things for us to do, and plenty of people to speak with, compared to our medium-sized apartment just down the street. Considering that we can be just as honest about our relationship in here as we are in the privacy of our apartment – we'd rather camp ourselves in this place during our breaks times and break days, and only go back to the apartment when we've exhausted ourselves.  
The only thing our apartment excels in, compared to this place, is in its complete privacy. This _is_ an Agency-owned rec room, after all – so any of the heroes that are employed under Aoyama are free to roam and relax in it as much as we do. Not that having someone walk in on us is a threat, since everyone in this Agency is familiar with our odd arrangement – we just don't want to disturb others with our chronic rowdiness. And it's not as if we've ever been walked in on by anyone in this Agency, heroes or otherwise… because literally no one else uses this room but us.  
Most of the other heroes here like to spend their time relaxing in the fashion studio, spa room, or exercise room. Some even prefer to sip tea all day in the tea room. Reading in, and lounging around, a small, secluded library isn't as appealing to people who love to stand out, I guess.  
I wonder why Aoyama decided to facilitate this room then.

Whatever the case is, Ochaco, Izuku, and I love to spend our time in the Reading Room. We call it our 'base of non-operations', and it's our home away from home.  
I lean back into 'my' leather couch and feel its smooth surface cool my skin. Across from me, seated in a loveseat by himself, is the love of my life and husband – his narrowed eyes showing complete concentration over his work. To my left, kicking her feet in annoyance as she sinks deeper into her cushion, is my best friend – speaking to someone she'd really rather avoid, but speaking with them anyways for my sake. All around me is the soft-volumed melody of a classical song, a calming feature meant to encourage an intellectual atmosphere for its few listeners.  
Taking this all in and recognizing that _this_ was now my life, I let out a long, quiet, contented sigh.

 _This is nice._


	16. Extra Ch5 - Unsaid, Worries

Ochaco's finally begun her yelling match with Bakugo. I can see her through the door's window, standing straight up and glaring down at her shelf-set phone, her mouth opening and closing in sync with her frantic-waving arms. It took her twenty minutes to reach this point. That's a new record. But making note of the record won't help anything. No matter how long Ochaco can keep herself from yelling at Bakugo – she undeniably _will_ end up yelling at him.  
There's no helping it. The two of them can't see eye-to-eye in this conversation, because the two of them are having entirely different discussions. Ochaco is unwilling to leave her team for reasons she can't bring herself to say, and Bakugo wants her to team up with him for reasons he can't correctly convey. She's annoyed with his persistence because she can't answer him – and he's aggravated by her stubbornness because he can't make his request any more convincing than it already is. It'll continue going round and round. And it won't ever slow down – not until one of them allows it.  
This is a futile problem, just like when Izuku tried to refuse Ochaco's feelings. One of them had to give up their fight first before a conversation could happen.

Uncomfortably familiar with both Bakugo's persistence and these sort of futile run-arounds, my husband speaks his mind, "There's no point in those two arguing in there. They're not even arguing over the same things. I'm not even sure I can call it an 'argument'."

"Mhm." I nod.

"Then why did you have him call her?"

My glance moves up from the book I'm reading and locks onto my husband's concerned stare. The answer I give him is an obvious one, "It's better that they yell at each other over the phone, than out in public. They don't need that kind of attention. None of us do."

He nods… then tilts his head in confusion. After some thought, he rephrases his question, "I guess what I'm really asking is – If there's no point in them arguing, then why are we letting them? Shouldn't we step in?"

"We'll step in. We always step in after they've had a few minutes to vent."

"No, no – I mean… _Hm…_ I mean – Shouldn't we be stepping in more _permanently_? That is, _we_ should be the ones to resolve the argument, right? If we both talk it over with Bakugo and make it clear to him that Uraraka won't change her mind – then even he'll have to settle with that answer. He won't like it, at all, but he'll still accept it."

"He's going to start a fight with you, you know. Ochaco's so loyal to _your_ team, that he probably thinks that he just has to beat you in order to win her over."

"I'm willing to fight him."

"Oh the brave, heroic Deku, the number one hero of Japan – _fighting for a woman that isn't his wife_ – publicly beating down the number two hero of Japan." I scoff at the possible headlines running through my head. "That kind of straightforward-heroics is more trouble than it's worth in this day and age."

"Well we can't just let this keep going."

"No, we can't."

"So then… I don't know what we're supposed to do. The only thing I _do_ know is that letting them talk like this is only making both of them more stressed."

"I'd imagine it would."

"Then they should stop talking already." Izuku stands up from his chair, setting aside his laptop. "I'll tell her to hang up for now, and –"

"I'd really rather you don't." I interrupt him, as I put aside my book and give him a pressuring stare.

He's stopped halfway to the door, looking at me quizzically. " _Er…_ Why shouldn't I?"

I sigh and shrug my shoulders. "Just let them hang up on each other."

"That could be hours from now."

"It's not like the Agency has any real closing hours. They'll keep the lights on for us if we want to stay. So just let those two tire themselves out for once."

My husband frowns at me. "Doing that will only make things worse. Ochaco was really tired for a whole week the last time it happened. And Kacchan was completely irritable for two."

"That time was awful…"

"Yeah…"

"Yeah."

Seconds pass in silence, until Izuku finally responds, " _Wait_ , are you just waiting until one of them snaps?!"

The question was put very crudely, but it _was_ the right question. I look away from him, hiding away a nervous expression. "… Maybe."

I can't see Izuku's expression, but I can imagine that it's shocked and, more appropriately, disappointed. The directed tone he gives shares both expressions, "Why – Why would you want that, Tsuyu? This is Ochaco we're talking about! If Kacchan snaps, she could end up in actual, physical danger! And if Ochaco's the one that snaps, _then…_ "

I look down guiltily. The sour, fading note at the end of his last statement shows that he's already figured it out. At this point, he's more than just disappointed with me. But I didn't expect him to figure it out at this point. He's too early. Two, maybe three more calls later – that's when I expected him to realize it. And by then, the problem I was concerned over would have already been brought to light.  
It's not as if I wanted to hide my intention from him – I was just hoping this would all play out naturally. But I guess that was hoping for too much. Nothing ever plays out naturally in our lives.  
"I'm sorry…" I say as I crouch to my knees, and bow low in apology. This is the first time I've ever put myself in this posture for anyone. But this is also the first time I've ever betrayed someone's trust this blatantly. And the fact that it was my husband's trust that was broken… I bow myself lower. "I'm sorry, Izuku…"

" _Why are you apologizing to me…?_ You should be apologizing to _Ochaco_ … You should be apologizing to _her_ for breaking that promise between you two! I'm not the one you lied to!" he's yelling now. I haven't heard my husband raise his voice in anger since… _since that day I accused him of being intimate with Ochaco._ That was an awful memory. I hate remembering it. I never wanted to make him angry like that again. But here he is yelling again, just like that time.  
A part of me is poisoned with jealousy… jealous that he's getting angry at his own wife in order to protect another woman. But that's just a selfish and idiotic jealousy. I'm the one that kept this woman under his protection. I'm the one that put us all in this situation. I'm the one that's threatening her – my best friend, _our_ best friend – with my silent decisions.  
"If you didn't want it from the beginning, you should have just said so!" Izuku continues his scolding, "But now you've dragged her into all of this, and, _what_ – you're just going to abandon her now?!"

"I'm not trying to abandon her!" I yell back, still in my bowed position. I'm in the wrong in this conversation, to be sure, and I don't have a right to speak out for myself, but I'm not going to be blamed for something that I'm not guilty of.

His foot stomps on the ground in response to my defense. "No, I guess you're not trying to abandoning her – **you're trying to make her** _ **run away from us!**_ You're trying to get Bakugo to pressure her every day, guilt-tripping her into thinking that she's holding _herself_ back, holding _us_ back, until she can't take the discouragements anymore and runs off on her own! _That's_ what you're trying to do! Does _that_ sound any better?!"

"Of course not!" I push myself up from my bow and glare daggers at Izuku. His eyes are fierce and firm against my glare. My hurt heart tells me that this stare – this treatment – is cold of him, but my logical mind tells me that he's only doing what he should be doing: keeping me from doing something I might regret.  
" _Of course not…_ " I say again, with a broken voice. " _That sounds horribly worse…_ But it only sounds that way, and looks that way, for now. After they've had a few more conversations, you would see the benefit of them talking it out this way."

"So the ends justify the means?"

" _ **NO!**_ " I scream.  
That phrase… I hate that phrase. He knows I hate it. It's a phrase people use as an excuse to commit crimes, or force poor decisions on others. Even with my harsh ways of viewing the world – I would _never_ support harmful means to gain a 'better end'. That 'better end' is mostly misconceived foresight. The real 'better end' comes from genuine and true efforts.  
 _This_ was a genuine and true effort. Rather than run and hide away with us for the rest of her life, Ochaco would finally be able to put her decisions and emotions to the test. Instead of just playing pretend in this awkward relationship, she would get to see what it really means to hold onto a taboo relationship, when factors outside of her feelings come crashing in. She'd no longer be protected by us. She'd have to face reality. No matter what ends up happening, isn't this the better road to take?  
The end and means of my held back words, of my intent of letting them talk it out, didn't justify one another. They justified themselves. This was for _her_ to face the problem. This was for _her_ to reach a conclusion. I just wanted the constantly-brought-up opportunity to be taken seriously for once, and for it to reach its end without any of us trying to ruin it with our biases.  
If Bakugo kept involving himself in our lives after that one, significant mission with Ochaco – then I take it as a sign that Ochaco should take his offer seriously. And there's no chance that she would ever take it seriously if she was 'satisfied enough' with her current life. Completely refusing an option's benefits just so you can prove that yours is better? _That_ is an end justifying the means.

I tell Izuku about these concerns, and my other concerns, at length. Not to excuse my actions – but to clarify why I went through with them. If I couldn't be honest with him in the first place, then I can at least be honest with him now. Ochaco's life, our life with her, what this means to us now, what this will mean to us three years from now – those are the things I worry over more and more, the further along we go with this trio-ship.  
"I know it was as much her decision as it was mine when I asked her to be honest with you…" I say to him. We've seated ourselves on the floor, continuing his lecture and my apology on this equal level. "But how can I let her continue with a decision that puts her in such a pitiable place? Bakugo's a real jerk in how he puts things, but he's completely right when he says that she's just a third-wheel in this relationship. You and I are only deepening our relationship as a husband and wife… but Ochaco can't go any deeper than where she is now. She's practically chained to where she is – as a single woman, as an individual, as our friend. She can't move on from here. And letting her stay this way, whether or not it was her decision too, makes me a horrible friend to her."  
I'm not sure what kind of face I'm holding while I say all this – sad, yet reserved? Or maybe I'm poker-faced again. I can never tell without a mirror. Even with all my honesty, I always feel as if I'm not getting my feelings across. I can only hope my words are clear enough for my intent.

But for my husband Izuku, his intents are always crystal clear. Serious and stalwart, yet compassionate and listening – his expression tells me exactly how he feels about my words: He sympathizes with what I've said, but still finds my actions entirely wrong.  
"You knew it would end up this way." Izuku says to me, "We both knew that her following us along in this relationship would keep her from moving on like she should've."

I shake my head slightly. "I didn't know. I really didn't. _How_ would I know? I've never met anyone that's had this kind of relationship before. I've only seen break-ups and rejections when it comes to a girl confessing her feelings towards a taken man. Ochaco's confession was something completely different. Her entirely-platonic love wasn't something I could understand at that time… but because it meant that there'd be no ill feelings between us: I was all for it. That's why I went through with it."

"Making a big decision like that without considering what it'd mean for the future… That's not like you."

"I don't have perfect foresight, Izuku. And I don't always avoid unsure outcomes. I just prepare for them when I can. This decision, though, I didn't know how to prepare for, or what to prepare for. I just let it happen anyways because I really didn't want to lose Ochaco…"

"But you're trying to make her leave now!"

"Because it's the better decision to make up for my stupid mistake! If she leaves this way, then she'll be able to move on with herself, find someone she can grow a deeper bond with, and be able to _act_ on her love – not just admire it from up-close."

"And what about Ochaco? What about it being _her_ decision too? Doesn't she have a say in this?"

"Of course she would, if she knew. But I already told you that if she knew: then there's no doubt in my mind that she'd refuse this option completely. She'll always think that her current life is the better option of the two."

"What if she's right?"

I blink. "What?"

"I said – what if she's right." Izuku repeats himself. "What if her life right now _is_ better? What if she's happier with us than she would be if she were with someone else?"

I blink at him again. What he said was just so _wrong_ , that I was confused on whether or not I heard him correctly. But now that he's repeated himself, I'm confused as to whether or not _he_ knows what he just said. " _You…_ You can't be serious about that, Izuku."

"Why can't I be?"

"Because there's no way she _can_ be 'happier' like this! She's happy, yes. Happy to have friends, a job she cares about, a place to stay, the necessities, and the wants. But, at most, she's only settling!"

"How do you know that?"

"How _wouldn't_ I know that?! How do _you_ _ **not**_ know that?! _Midoriya Izuku_ … Uraraka Ochaco is _in_ _ **love**_ with you. **You.** That poor, bubbly, sweet and adorable girl is head-over-heels _in_ _ **love**_ _– with –_ _ **you!**_ It's why I _adore_ her – because I know exactly how _that_ feels. No one else but her knows how I feel when it comes to being in love you. But the difference between her and me is that _I_ can at least act on that love. _I_ can kiss you, _I_ can hold you, _I_ can touch you, _I_ can say you're mine without a doubt in my mind! And I can do so much more – so much, _much_ more – than she can ever even **attempt** to do!"  
My legs curl, covering my chest – cradling the stinging ache of my heart. I'm tempted to leave my response at that just so I can stop the pain from growing. But I know it wouldn't be right. Izuku needs to know why I pushed for this to happen. He needs to know how much Ochaco is hurting.  
After a short pause for breath, I continue, "I can express my love for you in more than just words. I can show it to you. I can _share_ it with you. I can _give_ it to you. My love for you has an action, a function, a use, a purpose – beyond just a strong and meaningful friendship. It's not just a set of superficial, cutesy, pleasant words that I can shower you with whenever I have the chance. What I have for you _is love_. _Real love_. Concrete, solid, tangible, provable, evidential, _accessible_.  
"The platonic love Ochaco says she carries for you, _doesn't exist_ … It took me a year of watching her interact with you honestly, to realize that. Platonic love is for family, friends, and comrades. It's what I have for her… What she has for you is anything _but_ platonic. It shows in her eyes, in her frowns, in her self-jabbing jokes, in her silent stares, in her eagerness to help you. She _needs_ to love you more than she does now. But instead, she's always holding herself back – for my sake, for our promise's sake, _for our relationship's sake…_  
"How can she agree to this kind of life and _not_ be settling, Izuku? Can you really not tell how she feels for –" my words halt themselves.  
In an attempt to get moisture away from my eyes while I spoke, I had blinked, and my vision became unfocused. It was then that I noticed that the door to the reading nook was partially open.  
Ochaco is holding it in place, unmoving. How long had she kept that door open?  
Seconds pass by in silence. How much longer does she intend to stay behind it?  
She's more than aware that I know that she can hear us – her posture conveys that she's been wanting me to know. Was she waiting only for me to say something?  
" _Ochaco_ , I –"

Ochaco quickly thrusts the door wide open, walks around it, then slams it behind her. With tears in her eyes, she rushes at me and whips her palm against my cheek.  
" _ **You don't know a damn thing about how I feel!**_ "


	17. Extra Ch6 - Midoriya,

Ochaco, with tears trailing down her face, runs towards me and slaps me hard across the cheek.  
" _ **You don't know a damn thing about how I feel!**_ " she screams at me.

There's a pause. If I was supposed to say something in response to her, I'm not sure what it could have been. If it was an expression or action I was supposed to make, I'm not sure of those either. I can only think of staying still, and remain facing the direction of her strike.

" _ **You're**_ _the one who can't tell how anyone feels here, Tsuyu… You act like you know what's best for me, but you won't even talk to me about it? You're just gonna' assume that I'm wrong in this? That's so_ _ **kind**_ _of you, Tsuyu._ " she cries out her words angrily, as her voice crackles and creaks. Her screaming match with Bakugo had worn out her throat. The fact that she can still make a sound is surprising.  
" _And here you are talking off Deku's ears like he's the one that needs lecturing._ " she continues, " _You're the one who made a decision behind his back – thinking that he'd agree with your stupid plans. You've lost your right to talk here!_ _ **Just shut up**_ _and listen for once! Listen to what your husband has to say to you…_ _ **I've**_ _been trying to listen to him, but you've been talking over him this entire time! Funny how_ _ **a friend**_ _is more willing to heed a man than_ _ **his wife**_ _._ "

Furrow-browed and filled with spite, I fire a harsh stare towards Uraraka. She's my dearest and closest friend… I cherish her company, her mind, and her heart, more than I do anyone else's, aside from my husband's… but even she has limits as to what she can or can't express around me. There's a clear boundary between us in this companionship – a wall that keeps her from claiming my position next to Izuku. And she just unceremoniously crossed that line with her words.  
"Ochaco… please take back what you just said." I growl.

" _Why? You're scared that it's true?_ " she growls back.

"I don't want to have a fight over this."

" _Of course you wouldn't want to have a fight over Deku now… Because all you're concerned about is yourself._ "

I return the favor for what she had given me earlier – leaving a burning red mark of my own across her face. My palm's much larger than hers.  
With the sting still fresh on my skin, I grab her by the shoulder and slam her against the wall. " **Do you** _ **really**_ **think that?!** " I yell into her reddened face, " **I'm doing this for** _ **you, you know?!**_ **I'm doing it for Izuku's sake! What's a friend supposed to do when their best friend keeps hurting herself?! What's a wife supposed to do when her husband keeps crushing himself with guilt?! Am I supposed to just stand around and watch both of you kill yourselves?!** "

"Tsuyu!" Izuku yells at me, putting his hand on my arm, ready to pull me off of her.

I elbow his hand away and shout, " **You shouldn't protect her for this, Izuku!** _ **I know –**_ **I know I asked you to back then,** _ **but I take it back!**_ **We** _ **can't**_ **keep doing this to her!** " My hands tighten their grip on Uraraka… and I pull her towards myself, embracing her desperately.  
" _I can't keep doing this to you, Ochaco… Letting you chase after Izuku all this time was a mistake. I just…_ I just wanted you to stay our best friend for as long as possible. I wanted you to keep being happy and carefree around us. But this kind of life isn't realistic… _It's such a cruel lie to you._ The way we sugar-coat it with our daily victories and tiny satisfactions, is only making things worse. This relationship between all three of us is so obviously bound to collapse in on itself, so, _please_ , let's stop denying that before it's too late. Let's all stop pretending that we're happy this way…We're _not._ _I'm_ not. _You're_ not. _Izuku's_ not."

Ochaco struggles in my arms, frees herself, then shoves me away. I stumble back a few steps, but manage to keep myself upright.  
" _Stop talking for us like you know what we're all thinking!_ " she tries screaming out the words, but they only come out as loud whispers, " _You don't even know how Deku feels about any of this! Have you even asked him?! And have you ever tried just asking me what I'm thinking about – instead of analyzing me?! Do you_ _ **ever**_ _base_ _ **any**_ _of your assumptions on facts that you can cross-reference with anyone_ _ **besides yourself?!**_ _Why don't you get off that your stupid high horse of yours and just_ _ **talk things out**_ _for once?!_ "

Standing and staring at Ochaco, with her defying glare burying deep into me, I find myself without words.  
I'm upset. Angry, irritated, and annoyed by her demeanor. I'm aware that she tends to mimic Bakugo anytime she spends too much time speaking with him, phone or otherwise… but still, this imitation is going too far. I can almost hear the insult 'frog face' at the end of each of her sentences.  
I'm hurt. Offended, saddened, and crushed by her boldness against me. There was a time when Uraraka would hold her words whenever it concerned any troubles found in Izuku and I's relationship – but now it feels as if she'll no longer hold anything back from me… even if it undermines my role as Izuku's wife.  
I'm quieted. Perplexed, in awe, and ashamed before her words. All that she had said, no matter how rudely or inconsiderate she had put them, was undeniably the truth. I _hadn't_ asked Deku how he feels. I _haven't_ asked Ochaco what she's thinking about. I _have_ been assuming everything I've said and thought _without_ holding a proper conversation with anyone close to me. And it's only my opinions that I've given any weight or value to in this discussion.

At face value, she's absolutely right: _I've only been concerned about myself.  
_ I'm a horrible friend. And a shameful wife.

I bow my head low, once towards Ochaco, once – lower – towards my husband, Izuku.  
Exhaling slowly, I try my best to let go of my short-lived grudges and unproven worries. And with an effort, I let go of all the 'bookmarks' I've placed in this conversation – wanting to start everything off from scratch.  
" _Ochaco…_ " I say, my voice warbling from held back tears, " _Do you…_ Do you still love my husband?"

" _Very much._ " she answers almost immediately. Though I've heard her confirm this multiple times with her daily _'I love you, Deku, I really do'_ s, hearing this confirmation as an answer stabs at my chest.

I feel sick, and hurt… and scared. Though I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because I already know how this conversation ends, and I'm afraid to go back to our daily lives. Or maybe, it's because I don't know how this talk will end now, and I'm terrified knowing that our lives will finally change after four whole years…  
Whichever the case is, I shouldn't worry over these things by myself. I shouldn't assume without asking. I should ask them directly. I should speak honestly and openly. I should be her best friend, and trust her answers.  
"Doesn't it hurt you to keep loving him like this?" I push myself to ask.

" _It hurts like hell._ " she responds.

"Then why keep putting yourself through this?"

" _Wouldn't you?_ "

"I don't think I would…" I firmly shake my head. "I don't think I could. I think if someone else had been in my place, and I was the one waiting for Izuku… I would have moved on. Living every day in love with him, with the soul-crushing knowledge that someone else was being far more intimate with him – holding and seeing his love in a way that I never could – it'd be too much for me."

" _Then you must have forgotten why you love him._ "

" **I haven't forgotten!** I remember it every day! I know it every day! He's my husband! He's my Izuku!" I shout, protesting against her statement… though I could tell that there was a tremor of fear in my voice.

She answers to my tremor with confidence in her broken voice, " _If you haven't forgotten, then you wouldn't have said that you'd move on. You wouldn't want to move on even if someone else loved him, in ten more ways than you could – in a hundred, in a thousand more ways. You would love him regardless, because you know there's no one else in the world like him._ "

Such a bold sentiment… but so completely adolescent. Outdated, even.  
Had this been said in a casual conversation, I would have laughed at her in teasing. But this isn't the place and time for mocking. I have to take her words seriously, and weigh them against mine.  
I challenge her logic with my response, "I know there's no one else like him – as much as I know that there's no one else like _anyone_ else. Each person is different, and each of them can carry a love that's irreplaceable and wholly unique to another person. To say that I'd stay with Izuku because I know there's no one else like him – is the same as me saying that I'd leave him because I know there's someone else out there that's nothing like him. It's an all-encompassing conclusion that hurts your argument more than helps. It's why I've never said it myself."

Ochaco sighs to show disappointment in my deliberative response. It irks me, obviously, but I hold my tongue and wait for her counter-argument.  
As if she knew that it was taking me a lot of effort to do so, she leaves a long pause of silence between us… before speaking, " _Back in our first year, when I let you know that I'd support you in getting with Deku – I did it because I saw that you cared for him more than I did. You put him first, thought of him first, and put yourself and your desires second… You were a lot more mature than me when it came to love. A lot more selfless than I was._  
" _I admired you because of it, and I hoped one day I could love someone the same way you loved Izuku. So I would watch you, day after day, loving Izuku selflessly and with everything you had. The way you would talk to him and joke with him – the way you would play and work together – everything you let me see between you two: I took to heart, so I could apply that kind of love to whoever I ended up with, if I ever did end up with someone. And after years of watching you love him sincerely, I found out something about you that I never expected to find… You weren't entirely selfless in your love, Tsuyu._ "  
Her determined eyes unlock from mine and turn away, tracing themselves towards Izuku. In seconds, her expression gradually softens, and a sweet smile forms on her lips – which looks comical beside her very swollen cheek.  
" _You were being selfish over him too. There were parts of Izuku, and times you held with him, that you were being so greedy with. Like a kid with their favorite candy bar, you'd hesitate in ever sharing those pieces with me – whether showing them to me or involving me in those moments. It made me wonder if_ _ **that**_ _was what love was supposed to be. That selfish, overprotective obsession. But the more I thought about it, the more I knew that it couldn't be – because I had felt that same way with Deku before. Back in those days, there were so many feelings I had for him that I wanted to keep to myself, that I'd never share with the rest of the world. So what was it then, that made your selfish love so much more genuine than mine?_  
" _And then, one day, I figured it out. Just the day before I asked you if I could be completely honest about my feelings, I had finally figured out what the difference was between your love and mine… It had nothing to do with your selfishness over, or your selflessness with, him. It was what you_ ** _shared_** _ **with him**. It was in those moments you held together, worked on together, in what you carried together, that made your love **so whole** with him – and it's what made mine seem so fake in comparison. Your love for him was more than just what you claimed from him, or gave up from yourself. It wasn't just what you sacrificed or what you demanded. It wasn't obsession, infatuation, desire, duty, loyalty, compassion, or anything else you'd read about in books or see in movies. Your love – **your** real and true love – was made invaluable because of the life only you and Izuku could have together._"  
Ochaco faces me again – this time, with a tearful grin. " _That's why I confessed my feelings for Deku the very next day. Because, after I realized that, after I saw what your love was, and what was missing from mine_ _ _…_ I came to only one logical conclusion: I still loved Deku. I still loved spending time with him. I still loved the conversations we had. I still adored the moments I shared with him. The way we laughed, the way we cried, the way we were always there for each other? I still cherished that life I lived with him, that I still lived with him. And ever since I recognized these feelings, I never wanted to let them go. Even if, back then, you had never pushed me to be honest with him too – Even if I only stayed as a quiet friend by his side… I would have still loved him with all my heart. I would have loved him, and the memories I continued to make with him every day.  
"I wanted my life with him, in the only way my life could be with him, over any other possible lives out there I could have had with any other person! Even if it was distant. Even if it could only be platonic. I didn't care. I loved being with him. Don't __you_ _know how that feels, Tsuyu? Don't you still remember when you first realized that you loved your life with him – and never wanted to let it go?_ "

* * *

… A sticker of us posing together in front of a green-screen Eiffel Tower.  
… A selfie during lunch when he didn't expect it – there was pickled cabbage on his cheek.  
… Him carrying me in his arms, the both of us were worn out from our fight with Eraserhead.  
… Both of us are screaming as we go down in a rollercoaster – Izuku more than me.  
… Polaroids of two empty bowls from a spicy ramen eating contest.  
… Blushing in our classroom seats, after our classmates had found out about us being together.  
… The two of us wearing our official hero costumes for the first time – Mina is showing off hers too.  
… He sneaks a kiss on my cheek while I'm asleep.  
… I sneak a kiss on his lips while he's daydreaming.

* * *

Photos. Ones that I had collected over the years, since we first bonded in our friendship – and continued collecting long after that. They were taken by me. Some were taken by my husband. Some by my best friend. And they're the first things that come to mind when I think of my life with Izuku.  
I love those photos, one and all – they're cute, and fun, silly, and attractive. And I'm always eager to take more of them to build up my albums. Much more than their looks and their collectability, though, it's what's behind these photographs that I love the most – the stories surrounding them, the memories and moments that I can never truly re-experience in any other way – the measurements between them and the present, visual reminders of who we were then, and who we are now, and what it took to get here… I'll never get tired of looking at these photos, from their surfaces, to their depths. And I'll never get tired using them as my compass for what's behind me and, most importantly, what's ahead of me. In this life I share with Izuku, there are so many possibilities that I can only reach with him by my side. There are experiences here I could have only seen or touched by choosing to stay by his side. There are thoughts and feelings I can only hold now, in this very instant, because we've each reached this point – together.  
From this path that was put ahead of me, found nowhere else, I can live a life I truly adore, am proud of, can never replace, and would never want to replace. Because my Izuku, my life with him, can never, ever, be replaced.  
And yet… as much as these literal photographic memories acted as a response to a question I was given… none of the ones in mind quite answered the question my best friend had specifically asked me…

 _Do I remember when I first realized that I loved my life with him?_

* * *

… Orange-colored sunset skies…  
… A light wooden bench. With a trashcan nearby…  
… Soda can beside my feet. A smudged stain on his pant leg…  
… Round bushes lined up behind us. A paved walkway below…  
… A young, not-quite-yet couple, dressed 'casually chic' for a date they never planned…  
… They look deep into each other's eyes – as they press their hands against each other's…

* * *

A photograph, like all the others. A cherished memory, all the same.  
But unlike the others – this wasn't mine, and it was a fake.

I didn't take this photograph, nor did Izuku, nor had Ochaco. None of us knew of the photo's existence until the day it was sent to my phone by Mina.  
And it was taken completely out of context. There was nothing romantic or intimate occurring in that moment. Memories associated with it are mostly fabricated by gossip. And all the hints one could find in our still-frame expressions or postures: were despicably imagined by those who weren't willing to listen to reason.  
No, at that time, Izuku and I were arguing over the size of my wrists compared to my hands… it's a silly thing, now that I look back on it. And it's a simple thing that uncovers the truth of the photo to anyone that misunderstood – no matter how much more appealing the misunderstanding is.  
But it was an appeal that not even I could shrug off… An appeal that made me unwilling to listen to reason, and gladly sacrificed my reality to fantasize over.  
It was the appeal of 'what if', 'what could have been', and 'what could it be'…  
It was the appeal of the life I _could_ have with Izuku, should I have wanted it.  
After glancing at it only once… I was intrigued by the idea. After the tenth time… I was attracted to the concept. After the twentieth time… I desperately wanted the chance. Within that single photo, I had fallen deeply in love with the life I shared with Izuku, before I had even experienced it. And that imagined fantasy pushed me to chase after the tangible reality.  
Unlike when I was first given it, I'm thankful now to have seen that photo… because if I hadn't, all those years ago, I would have never known what it was like to be his first and only girlfriend, and I would have never known what it was like to be his wife. I would have missed out on this wonderful life entirely.

In front of me now was a woman who _had_ missed out on it. Though she desperately holds onto the small portion that she can still claim – she's barred from ever holding more, ever claiming more, simply because she didn't chase after her fantasy. At no risk, she's received so little reward.  
… But who am I to judge the value of what's left over for her? To her, this small reality of 'what's left' could be worth far more than the fantastical 'what it could be's. Even if she's promised more for chasing after a different life, the measurement of 'more' will only exist once she's abandoned this one – and the reward's not even guaranteed. The pocket of life she is guaranteeing in this moment, with her own efforts, is far more precious to her.  
My satisfaction with the full life that I hold, made me take her pocket one for granted… Even with so little, she shows just as much satisfaction as I do. Who am I to say there's something better for her?

" _You… You look like you remember now…_ " the woman 'with so little' tells me in a barely-heard whimper. How could she tell that I remembered? Was there an actual change in my face this time around – when I've been known to remain 'expressionless' in most occasions? Or was it my silence that gave it away? Before I can run down this line of assumptions, she continues with her whimpers, " _You get it n-now, ri…ight? The life you share with hi-… him is precious, right? You don't want it to go, even – even if y-you're promised a better o-one. B-Because there's no such thing a-as better for this, right? O-O-Only d-different. And... And you don't w-want different…_ "  
Ochaco's teary grin quickly turns itself into a despairing frown. The façade she held as the spunky, defiant woman that could stand toe-to-toe with Bakugo in a screaming match, has finally faded… and she's back to her old, sweet, sensitive self. She begins crying audibly – hiccuping and moaning between breaths. I nearly forgot how much of a crybaby she is whenever she's alone with Izuku and I…  
" _I – I – I – I – I – I don't – don't – wan-want d-d-d-d-different!_ " she pitifully hiccups out her words with each poorly-held sob, " _I – I – I l-l-love the li…ife I have right now! W-With D-Deku! W-W-With you! W-W-W-With all of… us! T-Together! It – It doesn-oesn't mat-tter if it hur-hurts! I lo-love it! I lo-ove you guys! I choo-choose this li-life with both of you! I wan…nt this li-i-life with Deku!_ _ **D-D-D-Don't take it away from me!**_ "  
Ochaco's composure breaks and she falls to her knees, sobbing inconsolably.

I rush to her side and wrap my arms tightly around her. My hand sliding through her hair slowly as I repeatedly whisper into her ear, " _It's okay… I won't take it away…_ "  
Without turning towards him, I gesture for my husband to join me. He crouches beside and adds his hand onto Ochaco's shivering head. The no-touch rule I pushed onto the both of them prohibits him from going any further.

Damn that rule.

I grab Izuku's head-patting hand and pull it over Ochaco's shoulder. He's physically refusing the action – thinking that he's misunderstanding what I'm trying to get him to do. With a knee to the rear, I force him to fall into a sitting position and forcefully wrap his arms around the crying woman.  
Izuku's eyes widen in shock.

More in shock is the woman in his arms – who has miraculously stopped quaking in her sobs. Her head very slowly turns upwards, looking towards the source of the warm embrace. Seeing Izuku staring back at her in complete confusion, she looks towards me in complete confusion – then back at him – then back at me.  
" _ **W-W-W-W-W-W–**_ " Ochaco's eyes are spinning. Her face is turning pinker and redder than I've ever seen it burn. The quaking of her desperate cries, has transformed into the shaking of a mental breakdown.

Izuku's staring at me, in complete anxiety… it reminds me of the face he gave Uraraka and I on that day we both counter-confessed to him. I hope he doesn't faint again.  
"Ts-Ts-Tsuyu, wh-what –" he stutters in a way I haven't heard him stutter since we exchanged vows. The fact that something as small as this is making him have the same reaction fills me with an aura of jealousy.

I'm tired of feeling this way. My jealousy has done nothing for this relationship other than make me wary of talking anything over with anyone in this group. If anything, it's only made me scared and unsure of the bond that I held with these two – my _best friend_ and _husband_.  
I crush these feelings pitilessly under my heel, with the phrase, "Just kiss already."

" _ **WHAT?!**_ " the two scream in unison and break away in a panic. Ochaco slides herself to one side of the room, pinning herself against the reading nook door. Izuku slams himself against the coffee table, curling over in pain.

Standing up and stretching out my legs, I look down at the absolutely panicked and confused not-quite couple in irritation. "Just for the record, even after everything you've told me, Ochaco: I _haven't_ changed my stance in this. I'm still not okay with you living with us as a single woman. You should be happy and able to express your feelings however you want for the person you love – with no restrictions or rules. And if you're so stubborn that you won't choose someone other than Izuku, despite him already being married to me – then… please choose him, and don't let me get in your way of loving him."

Izuku stops rolling around in agony and looks up at me in desperate concern. "Wh-What are you saying, Tsuyu?! Are we –"

I walk over to him and pull him up by the elbow, laying him down on the couch and rubbing his possibly-bruised ribs. "No, we're not getting a divorce, idiot. I love you. I'm not letting you go."  
With an unamused frown, I turn my attention to Uraraka. "He's still my husband, you got that? I'm still his wife. None of that changes. But you… _The two of you…_ can be something too. I don't know what. 'Lovers' sounds wrong. I consider all of us a family – so it sounds _completely_ wrong to refer to you as that. Even talking about this sounds horribly wrong. Thinking about this is really, really strange! But –"  
I calm my breathing, forcing myself to stop making this a monologue. My breaths become heavy as I struggle with the next part: forcing the fear in my heart to go away, as I turn towards my husband.  
"I-Izuku!" I unnecessarily shout his name to gain his attention. He's right next to me…

"Y-Yes?!" he unnecessarily shouts in affirmation. That hurt my ears…

" _Do you…_ Is this fine with you?"

"Is… fine?" he blurts, then corrects himself, "Is w-what fine?"

My face turns red. I'm not angry with him, even though I should be. Instead, I feel horribly embarrassed and self-conscious over my next words. Without turning this into a self-excusing monologue, I feel absolutely vulnerable with what I have to say.  
"Is you being… No, _um,_ is Ochaco…" my innate ability to speak is completely lost. I want to die.  
"Is it fine with you that…" My heart spins rapidly, unable to make itself skip nor sink with assumptions.  
"That I want Ochaco to be… _you know…_ " I sound like a fool. My darting eyes makes me look like one too.  
"Your…" I've already decided my stance on this, and yet I can't help but second-guess its consequences.  
" _Your…_ " Izuku and Ochaco's eyes are completely glued to me, anxiously waiting for the completion of my stilted words.  
" _Your second wife?!_ " I force the phrase out with a heavy breath, then gasp for air.

After hearing my question in full, both my husband and best friend respond with a simultaneous faint.

"How scandalous~" Aoyama Yuga applauds from the corner of the room…


	18. Extra Ch7 - Ochaco

I still remember it vividly…  
The day Midoriya Izuku told me that he was going out with Asui Tsuyu.

It was only the day after Tsuyu and I had cornered him with our confessions. Only a day after he had fainted from that experience. I felt so guilty about it that I didn't even think about what would happen after he recovered… what his answer to our confessions could be.  
The confessions themselves weren't for ourselves, weirdly enough. It was for each other. I went to Midoriya to tell him that Tsuyu loved him, and she went there to do the same for me… though 'love' is a little much to describe what I felt for him at the time. Compared to her, my affections for him could only rightly be called 'a crush'.  
What Tsuyu had for him was closer to the real idea of what love was… It was caring, considerate, selfless, supportive, and encouraging. Built to build Midoriya up by her side – rather than chain him down to her feelings. So of course I would have preferred it if he ended up choosing her over me.

How he would make that decision, and whether or not it would be announced, however, never really crossed my mind. Imagine my surprise when, on the no-school day that followed our confession, he contacted me in a text that he'd like to meet me, alone… specifically to talk about the confessions Tsuyu and I made.  
I wasn't prepared for that. I wasn't prepared to meet him alone either – it would be the first time in weeks since we've done so. And the first time ever that we'd do so out of choice. And never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that _he_ would be the one to suggest it. This wasn't like him…  
Though, I suppose, what we did to him the day before wasn't like us either. Countering surprise with surprise, this meeting would put the both of us on equal grounds.

Unlike the Deku I knew and watched from afar, the Midoriya I met on that day was calm and mature. He asked me to meet him in a little-known private café near his home. It was small, had walled-in booths, and thick with soft furniture that would absorb sounds. For a public place where neither of us would feel too locked-in, it was perfect for a private conversation. The Deku I knew would have never picked a place like this. He'd think it was too personal…  
But he wasn't the Deku I knew anymore. The Deku I knew was single, inexperienced with women, and virgin in every way. I felt a sort of camaraderie with that Deku – since I was just as inexperienced, just as virgin, and just as nervous to be with someone of the opposite gender. Sitting across from me in that intimate booth was someone who was no longer burdened by those worries. Confident and bold, he led our conversation quickly to its goal without reconsidering his words.  
It was scary… seeing and hearing him like that. Before he even got to tell me what he thought of our confessions, I already knew what his answer would be… because I was shaken by how much he had already been changed by it. The answer he carried with him was clearly written across his face. And he brought me there, to that quiet place, so that he could tell it to me without making a scene.  
A phone call or text would have been enough… At least then I could reply without having him see me cry.  
But, maybe, he _did_ want to see me cry. The Deku I knew from before was kind, caring, and a hero who made himself responsible for everyone else's needs. Just because he approached me with confidence that day, didn't mean he had changed from those old virtues. Talking to me in-person, telling those things to me face-to-face, having me cry and sour the atmosphere of that café… it might have been his way of taking responsibility over his decision.  
'Look at what your decision really means' might have been the theme of that meeting for him.  
Because, otherwise, the Deku I knew really would have just told me over a phone call or text… Bold or not.

I dreaded being there with him, in such a personal arena, even if I knew the reason for it. Though I honestly _did_ want him to choose Tsuyu after all that had happened, I really only wanted to witness that conclusion from afar – far away from thinking I was ever a part of that equation. But in front of him like that, cornered by him just as we had cornered him, there was no room for me to deny just how involved I really was. The claims I've staked in our situation was made plain for us to see: I liked him. I liked Deku.  
I've liked him even before Tsuyu ever looked at him that way.  
I couldn't exactly say that I loved him… but was it wrong of me to want that chance to fall in love with him?  
And even if it never turned into that, the fact that I was even involved at all – that I was even there to face his answer… didn't that count for something?  
There, trapped and cornered by the very decision I had forced onto him, I had no choice but to value my feelings for him. I wouldn't be able to shrug off his answer calmly, or as a friend, no matter what it ended up being. Because there, in front of him, in front of no one else, I only wanted him to choose me.

Before I could even realize my true feelings for my classmate and closest male friend, I was going to be told by him that those feelings weren't worth it. Not when it was weighed next to another girl's.  
'I love Tsuyu.' were the three words that sealed that fact into my heart… and broke it to pieces.

I was _'fine'_ when he told me those words. Composed, and looking as if I understood. But 'fine' only held its guise while my mouth was closed. When I tried telling him that I 'was fine', the heart-broken truth spilled out of me instead. I cried. I cried so bad that the murmurs in the café awkwardly went silent… I cried so terribly that the confidence in Midoriya's eyes nearly vanished.  
 _'Nearly…'_ My heart sank further into itself when I thought about that. _'Nearly…'  
_ That one word translated plainly to 'Not enough'. As in 'I wasn't enough to sway him'. As in 'Compared to her, I was never going to be enough for him'.  
I took it personally. Too personally. But at the time, I couldn't see it any other way.

When actual words, and not just senseless moanings, came out of my mouth – my reply to him came in the form of a question, " _Was it even a competition?_ "  
'Did I even stand a chance?' 'Was I ever considered in your heart?' and so much more questions were crammed into that single phrase. It was self-deprecating and defeatist of me. But at the time, I couldn't see it any other way.

And then… just as my heart was about to whither away… he told me something that made it beat back to life.  
"Yes." was his answer to my question.  
"It was a very hard, and difficult decision." he continued on.  
"And a really confusing one too." he added.  
"Before yesterday, I never even thought of Tsuyu that way." he said.  
"Before yesterday, I only really thought of you." he claimed.  
"I'm not sure if you would've called it 'love', but you were on my mind a lot." he shared with me.  
"And it's weird to say now, I know, but you still are. On my mind, that way, that is. You're still really… amazing in my eyes."  
"I know I shouldn't be thinking this anymore. But if I'm going to be honest with you about my decision, then that's the truth."  
"Ending up here, after being told by two awesome girls that they like me – this isn't what I expected to happen today, yesterday, or in all my life. And having to step on someone's feelings like this, isn't how I wanted things to end up, especially between my best friends… But because it's been painful for the two of you to keep quiet about this, I really need to give you an answer. And this is my answer. And I'm going to hold myself to it."  
"That's why I asked you to meet me here, actually. It's so I could tell you my answer, personally, and have you hold me to it too. If I just gave you my answer over the phone, or just through an email, it wouldn't be the same. My answer would have just been impersonal and distant. And the last thing I want is for this to end up being impersonal, I want this to end up being very personal between us. I want you to know and always remember what I've said today. So that I can never back out of this decision unharmed, or ever pretend that this didn't hurt you as much as it did."  
"Because… it did. I am. Hurting you, that is. Your feelings count in this just as much as Tsuyu's. And I'm a jerk for rejecting such an amazing girl like you. And you can hold me to that, always. I want you to. Because no matter what changes between us from my decision, I'll always consider what you think of me – in how I am, or what I've done. Because how you regard me, matters to me. I admire you. I always will. You're irreplaceable to me, Uraraka. As a person, as a friend, as something so much more than that. You made this decision life-changing for me, just as much as Tsuyu. And I don't ever want any of us to forget that."

My heart beat, and beat again, with every sentence he fed me in his lengthy monologue. In a very bittersweet way, I found out more about Midoriya Izuku's innermost-thoughts through that formal rejection, than I ever had during my time being his friend. That day, my once-innocent infatuation for him slowly matured into something I couldn't quite recognize. It became less self-focused, more heart-felt, worryingly permanent, and strangely empathizing. Within the spans of that hour, these entirely new sensations were filling up my chest.  
And if I had stayed uncertain over what those feelings in me could have meant, the words he said next threw those cares away…  
"Even if I can't give you my heart anymore, I'll still always give you my complete respect and trust, Uraraka."

One of my mom's old words of wisdom echoed in my mind as he had said that.  
" _You know a man truly loves you when he gives you his full respect and trust._ "

Midoriya, unknowingly, told me in that moment that he loved me… And that he would continue to love me, no matter what the relationship was between us.  
At that time, I had no clue what to do with the feelings swirling inside of my stomach and chest… but like him, I wanted to make a sure decision and hold myself to it.  
I had decided then that I wouldn't run away from him. I wouldn't turn away, look away, or ignore what we 'had' between us just because he belonged to someone else.  
I was still Uraraka Ochaco, the woman that Deku respected and trusted, and there was an irreplaceable value to that. I couldn't deny that from him or myself, just because we didn't belong to each other. I could repay his love with a currency separate from intimacy or passion.  
Like my mom had offered my dad on the day of their marriage… I offered him something that I couldn't take back without losing my dignity…

On the day Midoriya Izuku confessed to me that he had chosen Asui Tsuyu as his girlfriend, I told him that I would still remain by his side as a companion, no matter his decisions or its outcomes. In return for his respect and trust as a dear friend, I offered him the same as a lifelong partner.  
Whether as his friend, his best friend, his sister, or as a stranger… I promised Deku my unbending loyalty.

* * *

The loyalty I held just for for Deku was given to him in return for his honest love. It wasn't held so that I could get something for myself, nor did I hold it so that I could give him something 'freely'. There was a proper exchange between us. So long as he loved me the way that he did, I would remain loyal to him in the ways that I could. That's all there was to it. As such, I never expected any compensation beyond that fair trade.  
But, like always, a day in the life with Deku means you're bound to run into something completely unexpected and unasked for.

My loyalty towards Deku, unintentionally and invisibly, acted as an investment in my life – and that unseen investment would repeatedly reward me in very visible spades.  
First, there were the many accidental moments that ended up with me being trapped somewhere, alone and in close-quarters, with Midoriya… I didn't mean for any those moments to happen, but I can't pretend like I didn't like them.  
Then, there were the perks for being associated with Japan's #1 hero… Discounts, VIP treatments, invitations to fancy places, delicious foods, sponsorships, TV interviews, delicious foods… I doubt I would have tasted any of these things if I hadn't been teamed up with him.  
Later, when my feelings towards Izuku bloomed, I was practically forced by my best friend Tsuyu – his own fiancée – to openly express these feelings around him… And when I did, a huge weight I didn't even know I had, flew right off of my shoulders. And I've been happier and more satisfied in my ever since.  
And now…

Now I'm recognized by both Deku and Tsuyu – alongside the heroes and employers of the Sparkling Agency – as Midoriya Izuku's second wife.  
… Yes, _wife_.  
I mean, it's not officially recognized in Japan… And even if we were to be married in a country that allowed polygamy, our status would only be _superficially_ recognized in all other countries…  
 _But still!_ Everyone close to me accepts the idea that I'm his wife! His wife! Can you believe that?  
Well… my parents don't know…

 _AAAAAAAAHHHHHH WHAT IF THEY DID?!_ What would I tell them?!  
I wouldn't have to tell them! Because I won't tell them!  
But they're going to keep bugging me that I'm not married yet…

Bakugo's going to keep bugging me too – about not joining his team, because he doesn't even know that I'm sticking to Deku for a completely different reason now!  
Is it safe to tell him about this? Just so he'd get off my back? Deku says that Bakugo's actually really trustworthy when it comes to keeping secrets…  
I mean, I guess he'd take it better than the public ever would…

 _The public can't ever know!_ If they ever found out…  
They don't have to find out. It's none of their business. Really, it doesn't have to be anyone's business other than our own.  
It's just between me – and the people of the Sparkling Agency – my absolutely best friend, Tsuyu – my hus…band I-Izuku…

 _Izuku recognizes me as his wife._

 _ **IZUKU RECOGNIZES ME AS HIS WIFE!**_

I mean he's still shy about it. Heck, I still freak out over it! But it's there. He's there. I'm there. We're there. It's in our conversations. It's in our greetings. And it's in… o-our… k-k-kiss… W-We've kissed… _We've actually…_

No, don't faint, Ochaco.  
 _… Midoriya Ochaco…_

 _ **AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!  
SHOULD I LEGALLY CHANGE MY NAME?!**_

No – No, that would catch attention from the media. That would definitely catch attention from anyone that looks at our ID cards. Three Midoriyas walking up to the airport terminal together, and none of them look like each other? That would definitely catch their attention.  
I could say we're adopted siblings. But I don't want to lie about it. I don't need to lie about it.  
Then I guess I don't need to change my name… Uraraka Ochaco…  
O-Only our children's names then!

 _I can have children with Izuku…_

 _ **I CAN HAVE CHILDREN WITH –**_

I need to calm down. I need to stay composed. Just keep up the friendly smile for these people around me, and don't let them know that I'm seriously, internally malfunctioning. That's all I need to focus on.

"You swore your loyalty as a friend?" the interviewer asks me with a slight gasp.

"That's right." I tell her with a firm nod.

"On the same day he rejected you?"

"When it's put that way, it sounds like our relationship depended entirely on his decision…" I nervously laugh and adjust my sitting position. "You have to remember that all three of us were very close friends before the confessions. That wasn't going to change just because one of us decides to fall for the other."

"Or if two of you fall for one of you, it seems."

"That's how it went."

"It's an unusual thing for friendships to remain intact after an event like that."

"It's definitely unusual. But I don't think it's impossible. Most of us are just raised to believe that our relationships have to be put on the line every time there's a disagreement. But we often forget that it's because of our agreements, not our disagreements, that our relationships exist in the first place. If we just remember that, I'm sure many more of us would still be in contact with our best friends five, ten, maybe twenty years down the road."

"And what would you say is the 'agreement' between you and your teammate Hoplight, that keeps both of you friends –"

"Best friends."

"Sorry, _best friends_ , despite your past-competition over Deku?"

I tap my chin with my index finger. " _Hmm…_ I'd have to say it's that we both think that Deku is pretty great."

The interviewer chuckles. "I'd say we're all in agreement with you two."

"I'm not sure if I can call everyone here my 'best friend'! I don't have enough space on my contacts list!"

The interviewer laughs. "I'm sure you can fit at least one more!"

"For you? Of course."

"Aw, that's sweet of you, Uravit– Oh! You're serious? Wow, haha! Okay, okay, hold on, after this interview is done."

It will be another fifteen minutes before my live interview could be considered 'done', and after that I'll have to remember to exchange my number with the radio hostess. I really wasn't kidding with the offer – it never hurts to network with more people, after all. Plus, the excitement people have when trading IDs with me reminds me of my school days… Even adults in their forties can still get giddy doing this.  
The topic of this radio discussion is titled 'The Secret Of Japan's Hero Trio', and just like the title hints at – it spotlights the curious relationship between Deku, Hoplight, and Uravity. This is the first time any one of us properly explained the subject for a public broadcast. And it won't be the last – I'm scheduled for eleven more interviews this week… all of them focused on the same topic.  
Before, none of us dared to let the public know, in interviews, QA's, or even in casual conversation – in fear of the backlash from tabloid news sites. But now that the relationship between the three of us has become even more taboo to talk about, I felt like it was better to address people's curiosities with a simple answer:

 _Hoplight and Uravity were love rivals, with Deku as the target of their affections. Hoplight was chosen in the end, but Uravity remained by their side as a loyal friend._

There was nothing untrue about that summary – and it explained just enough to answer that nagging question of 'why a single woman was teamed with a married couple'. The only problem was: that was all there was to my explanation. I haven't said anything about how I still loved Deku, how I confessed that to Hoplight, how she encouraged me to tell him too, how I openly expressed my feelings towards him for a year and a half despite his marital status, and I especially said nothing about how I ended up being unofficially titled as his 'second wife'… And I don't ever plan on mentioning those things.  
I'm just giving the press something meaty to chew on with this simple summary, so they don't get too curious on their own and end up discovering the whole 'second wife' thing.  
Plus, this answer should give Bakugo a better answer as to why I won't team up with him. He won't back down because of it, that's for sure. But at least he'll know why I won't back down either.  
Plus-plus, this might also help block out all those suitors that keep hounding me. I mean, they'd have to be pretty confident now if they think they can compete with my past-affections towards Deku… Not like there's even a competition. I am, after all, already spoken for.

… Not that I can tell anyone, but still…  
All that matters is that I can tell him that. I can tell Deku that he's spoken for, by me too. I can tell Izuku that he belongs to me, too. I can tell my husband that I'm his wife! – too!  
Those 'too's at the ends are really awkward… I don't really mind them for their meanings, though. The husband I belong to _is_ shared by one other – but you couldn't ask for a better person to share him with. Tsuyu, my best friend, teammate, and comrade in love, loves the same man as I do – with the same intensity as I do. Of course she would, since she's his first wife. But outside of obligations, her absolute care and attention towards him can't be beat! Not even by me!  
That makes me sound awful… but I have to accept it as a fact when it's true. I can't read Izuku like she can. I can't immediately figure out what he thinks, or catch his mistakes before he even makes them. I can't make up for his weaknesses as perfectly as she does. I can't stop him from doing something once he's determined to do it, but _she_ definitely can. Even after all these years of watching the both of them work together – I really can't keep up with how they do things.  
But that's fine. Because Deku and I do things our own way, at our own pace. I'm apparently skilled at cheering him up and cheering him on. And convincing him to do things without needing to twist his arm. And cleaning up after his messes. And, _um,_ oh! I can make him float. That's a thing.  
I realize my list sounds kind of bare, but that's mostly because I'm not great at analyzing myself. I only know what I'm helpful in – and where my strengths are – when someone points it out, or I'm given obvious feedback.  
Like when Tsuyu told me that Izuku always laughs when I use my 'tough guy' voice… I never noticed that.  
Or like that time Deku told me that I make the best pancakes. It was because I added more brown sugar on top of the original recipe – so that's how I found out that he really likes brown sugar.  
And I'll even pick up on non-verbal cues, as long as they're really noticeable. Like when Deku stretches and yawns most times when I scratch the back of his ear – that's his 'are you tired?' switch.  
Or l-like when I pull away after kissing him… and h-his lips pinch against my bottom lip for just a second… He really likes my bottom lip… _heh heh…  
_ And when he holds me close, his hand tends to slide s-slowly around my hips… a-and it feels like he wants to slide it down and… _heh heh heh heh…_

 _Heh…_

"I-I'm sorry, what was your question again?" I ask the hostess, trying to get my mind back into the interview. My face feels really, really hot. I'm glad this interview doesn't have a camera.

"Ah, the question from our listener was… What would you say is your proudest contributing factor in the team? Specifically, what helps you stand out from your teammate Hoplight, when it comes to supporting Deku?"

"He really likes my butt."

…

 _ **WHAT DID I JUST SAY?!**_


	19. Extra Ch8 - Learning,

Two weeks.

In just two weeks, our whole lives turned upside down, dragged to the bottom of the ocean, forcefully reeled back to the surface, thrown up in the air, and were then expected to turn ourselves right side back up before landing. I'm still not sure where we're landing after all this is said and done.

Uraraka Ochaco, my best friend and fellow – albeit unofficial – wife to my husband, decided, out of the kindness of her heart, to subject herself to a radio interview concerning the relationship between her, myself, and our husband Izuku. Her goal was to alleviate some of the rumors surrounding our strange, unspoken relationships, to hopefully dissuade any would-be investigative journalist from sticking their nose into our actual relationship and finding out about her status as the 'second wife'.  
It was a sound plan, with wonderful intentions, and she was the best of the three of us to convince the media and public to respectfully accept our awkward trioship – with Izuku and I as the married couple, and her as the loyal, tag-along friend. But the timing of it could not have been more off.  
It had barely even been a month since I pushed for Ochaco to be my husband's second wife, and even less than that since the two of them finally fell into the roles. By all cultural expectations, the two of them were still in their 'honeymoon phase'! Two months at the very least, six months at average, a full year and a half at most – those are the average time lengths it takes for a young couple to snap out of their over-excited behaviors. To attempt anything on a public stage before reaching any of those milestones, is to set yourself up for the typical honeymooner blurts and braggings. That should be obvious to anyone.

Well, it wasn't so obvious for Izuku and I… He and I had always been rather tame in our relationship, so our 'honeymoon phase' wasn't so apparent. We only made clumsy attempts at romance during our first months at marriage… among other, more private, things.

But still, it should've been obvious for the both of them. Izuku and Ochaco are your typical overly-excitable couple. Of course they'd blurt unnecessarily-personal stuff out. It was only a matter of time – if they didn't take the time to wait for their 'lovey-doveys' to calm down. And they didn't wait.  
Or rather: she didn't wait.  
Ochaco set up the interview sooner than I thought she would – months sooner. And before I could talk her into rescheduling it, she was already being dragged away by media agents and the like. It was too late to call them off without causing the current rumors to escalate beyond imagining.  
The only thing I could do – the only thing my husband and I could do – was to sit and listen to the live interview, and hope for the best.

" _He really likes my butt."_ was the phrase that dashed those hopes and tore them to pieces.

She had accidentally spat it out as an answer, for an only-barely-related question. Her mind must have been completely elsewhere. But it's not as if she could have used that as an excuse: what she said was very clear, and very deliberate as a response. It couldn't be taken in any other way.  
Whether or not Ochaco had confirmed that there was something to the rumors that were already surrounding us – specifically the ones that questioned whether or not she was Deku's secret lover – she at least confirmed what gossip-mongers had been hungry for: There was more than just friendship involved in her relationship with Deku.

And rather than suffer through months over months of damage control, I subjected myself to a personal interview, and cut through the rumors with a searing hot reply: "Uravity is Deku's second wife. It's not something I wonder over being bad or good for us. I just see it as a plain fact. And at this point, everyone should as well."

If what Uraraka said caused tabloid news to explode in viewership, then my statement ensured that many of those viewers became permanent subscribers.

Our husband Izuku, however, wasn't able to add fuel to these fires. He was banned from ever making a statement to anyone. I personally banned him. And out of guilt, Ochaco supports that ban. What he says in defense could calm thousands of eager listeners, but would encourage the creation of millions more gossip articles. I won't stand for him being villainized by scummy journalists, and neither will Ochaco.  
So whether he likes it or not, he'll only be portrayed by the both of us as a man whose merits earned him the affections of two compliant lovers. I'm sure this'll make his popularity amongst males drop significantly. At least, here in Japan. In the Western countries, men are supposedly fans of this kind of figure. Not that outside attention is something we were looking for…

The world-renown trio heroes Deku, Hoplight, and Uravity dropped significantly in popularity polls after the notable interviews, and soon found themselves on many lists of infamy – sharing reputational spaces with the likes of elusive vigilantes and almost-villainous heroes. It was a little ridiculous seeing us portrayed so negatively over a simple, taboo relationship status. But 'the public's moral viewpoint is what ultimately decides a hero's value', or so Izuku says.  
Taking on the brunt of those glaring 'moral viewpoints' was the Agency that we had belonged to for over a year: the Sparkling Agency. Aoyama Yuga, his managers, and his heroes, were bombarded by the media for weeks after my statement. It fell on them to clear up, or further muddy, our names in the face of a public relations nightmare. And though the people of the Sparkling Agency were lovers of attention – most of them could only handle _positive_ attention. Negative, intrusive scrutiny was not something they were used to.  
After many of the heroes avoided making public appearances, and one of them retiring too early in his career, Aoyama had to make the difficult decision of letting the three of us go.  
It was a heartbreaking dismissal. Not so much from us being cut off from the one safe haven the three of us thrived in, but from being separated from a dear friend of ours. Aoyama was just as distraught as we were when he gave us the ill news, and he was the last person that ever wanted to make that call. But as he was now a responsible leader of his own organization, with several newcomer heroes depending their livelihoods on him, and hundreds of citizens entrusting the safety of their district on them – he had no choice. For the sake of the heroes and citizens that couldn't pave their paths as easily as we could: The Sparkling Agency no longer associated themselves with the heroes Deku, Hoplight, and Uravity.  
It was understandable. And we don't hold anything against him for it. It's just a saddening fact…  
He does still call us from time to time, though, to check up on how we're doing.  
Our answer for him would literally change by the day.

After being laid off from the Sparkling Agency, the three of us were forced into a temporary hero hiatus. Every day we'd look into two to three different Agencies, seeing if anyone would be willing to take us in and sponsor our hero work. But no one wanted to deal with the media firestorm we brought around with us everywhere we went. Even old friends and classmates had to turn us away, for the sakes of their own livelihoods and the people they looked after.  
Todoroki couldn't find us a position in Endeavor Agency. Mina failed to convince her boss to let us join as sidekicks. Iida wouldn't risk Team Idaten's reputation while it was going through a fragile revival. Sero had to turn us down immediately since the Agency he belonged to was completely commercial. Mineta outright barred us from entering his building with no explanation given. And many more had to close their doors to us.  
We knew it was nothing personal – except maybe with Mineta – but it was still difficult to hear. They were our friends and comrades after all. Knowing that we may never be able to have a casual meeting with any of them ever again, all because the all-encompassing expectations of a hero kept them from associating with bad PR… made me wonder if this was the right career choice.  
But that thought only lasted for a few minutes. This job was never for myself or my concerns – it was for the people who needed saving. Even if those people didn't like how I lived my life. That was something I was prepared to accept even before I graduated… I just had no idea how my life would turn out after I graduated.

With thirteen Agencies rejecting us within the spans of five days, the three of us began to seriously consider going the freelance route.  
Freelance heroism is a career role very few heroes attempt to tread, and even fewer heroes find any real success in. Not having constantly-supervised regulations, set schedules, daily paperwork, media obligations, and required meetings to attend to may sound great at first hearing, but without the protected sponsorship of an Agency: most freelance heroes live their lives in complete debt. The monthly government paychecks and meaty commissions can only cover so much in taxes, fines, and property damage – and won't save a hero from being sued by an individual, or worse, by an entire city.  
There's a reason why I was never open to that idea. And it's the reason why Bakugo lives in a miniature apartment on the poorer side of the district.  
Thankfully, we weren't given enough time to attempt this career route, as an Agency contacted us just before we could finish filling out the freelancer paperwork.

The identity of said Agency and its owner, however, came as a complete surprise to me.  
The Hero's Rescue, Yaoyorozu Momo's Agency, is regarded as one of the most influential Agencies in the world due to its singular-role in protecting and rescuing other heroes. I thought if anyone among our old friends had the absolute right to reject us for the sake of public relations, it would've been Yaomomo. She had built up her organization from the ground up to where it is now through public relations. Her massive network of associated Agencies and non-hero businesses easily rivals that of the largest international, government-managed Agency in the United States. And she only had a year and a half to reach this point.  
Why in the world would she risk so much just to take care of her old friends?

Since it was Izuku that was contacted by her Agency, the answer was made apparent: it wasn't for us – it was for him.  
If I hadn't already given up on finding out what happened between those two, that answer would have set off several warning signals inside my head. But as it was, there were more dire concerns we had to deal with on our end, and any helping hand had to be accepted as a wonderful miracle.

Within a forty-eight hour period, we were invited to, signed into, briefed, and equipped to work under The Hero's Rescue Agency. In the next twenty-four hours, the PR firestorm that followed us around was mercilessly drowned by a terrifying team of press managers and lawyers. And six hours after, we were already thrown into our first mission… And in the next three, we were thrown into our second. And by the end of that day, we were shown our new living quarters located inside the Agency itself – and had the leftover lease of our apartment paid off for moving here.

This all happened in just two weeks.

* * *

Ochaco barges into our clean, new suite and marks it as our home – by pitifully puking into the toilet of its luxurious bathroom.  
Izuku limps over to her side and weakly rubs her back.  
I crash myself onto the enormous bed in the master bedroom and let out a long, desperate groan.

The fanciful accommodations of our living space does nothing to stave off the overworked aches inflicting every fiber of our beings. Too much has happened today, yesterday, the day before, the days before. And most likely, even more is going to happen tomorrow. Just the thought of it makes me feel sick.  
We wouldn't feel so awful if it was only missions we faced today. But being forced into a tour of the suites directly after, then having to go all the way back to our apartment to meet with the property manager, and then moving half of our stuff in here? I'm surprised we were able to stay conscious up to this point.

"What were they thinking – making us do all this in just one day?" I cry out.

"I – know! They – can– bleuuuargh!" Ochaco fails to finish heaving her words.

"Maybe… Maybe they had the schedules mixed up?" Izuku says, trying hard to hold back a yawn, "Like, maybe, that woman didn't know we had missions today?"

"No, she was quite aware." a voice in the distance audibly chimes in.

I flinch in response, as I imagine everyone else did too. Izuku walks out of the bathroom and looks around the rooms curiously – looking for the source of the voice. Ochaco continues her business with the toilet, closing the door behind her husband so as to not be rude with her sounds. If I could, I'd join Izuku, but my body's sinking into the bed, and my muscles have stopped listening to me.

"Hello?" I hear Izuku calling out in the living room.

"There's no need to search." the voice chimes back in. "You can speak with me in any room." the voice says, though at a surprisingly close volume this time around.

My defensive training kicks in and my muscles force themselves to stand up. I take in the surroundings in an instant – large room, large bed behind me, lounging chair and lamp to my right, closet and corner hallway to my left, cabinet and hamper in one corner, tall plant and bookshelf in the other, drawers and large television ahead, with a glowing blue hologram hovering just beside the bedroom doorway. It's easy to figure out which of these items wasn't here before.  
A see-through figure of Yaoyorozu Momo can be seen in the azure light, her sharp business attire and perfectly-pinned hair bun shining in a much deeper blue than the rest. Despite staying in one spot, her legs and feet clearly show that she's walking to areas not shown in the live feed. In her hands is a notepad, which is then replaced with a fold of papers, then a tablet. She's multi-tasking.

"Oh! Hey, Yoro." Izuku greets her, in a room much further away.

Yaomomo pauses in her movements and glances towards me – or rather, at a screen she's using to view us – then looks away quickly. "We agreed not to use those names publicly…" she mutters in reply.

"Who's Yoro?" Ochaco asks from the toilet. I really hope there isn't a hologram in there.

"Is this public?" Izuku asks Momo, not hearing Ochaco's question. "Wait, where are you?"

"Where I always am."

"You want us to come up there to visit?"

"… I'm clearly busy, Midoriya. No, stay down there."

"And we're clearly busy here too." I speak up, "While I'm honestly grateful for everything you've done for us, Yaomomo – would you mind telling us what was with our insane schedule today? And the other day? Is it always this busy here?"

"Usually, no. For the next few days, yes." she replies without looking up at me, "For your group specifically."

"WHAT?! NOOO!" Ochaco cries out in despair, "I don't think I can keep this up!"

"You are going to have to." Yaomomo states as she taps at an invisible object. An outward-facing screen hovers in front of her figure, cycling with images of news articles and charts. All of them have our hero names listed on them. "As it stands, each of your reputations as heroes have taken significant blows which none of you will ever be able to fully recover from – unless you can change the minds of the populace before their opinions can set in. It will take a lot to dissuade their view of you, so you'll have to surpass their expectations. Work hard, show results, and prove that your roles as heroes haven't been compromised by your particular relationship."

Ochaco peeks her head out from the bathroom and is stunned by the hologram standing beside the door. "Momo! It is you!"

"It's been a while, Uraraka. Or should I be calling you 'Midoriya' as well?"

Ochaco's face turns pink as she starts chuckling shyly. "N-No, I'm still an 'Uraraka' for now. Just call me 'Ochaco' like you used to."

"Very well, Ochaco. When you say 'for now', does that mean you have plans to change your family name eventually?"

"I dunno…" her tone turns melancholy, "Since it's not really official, this is more of a decision my family has to be okay with. We're still… talking things out."

"That's the best way to do it. Having respect for your family's name shows you're being a responsible daughter. These are the kind of traits the public has to be made aware of, in order for them to come to accept the three of you."

"Yeah, that's what I wanted to talk about if I was ever interviewed." Izuku says as he walks into the bedroom, "I wanted to talk about their positive traits."

"You shouldn't be anywhere near a journalist." Momo immediately responds, "They'll twist all of your words against you, and against them. It would be foolish for you to be interviewed."

"He's not allowed to be interviewed. We banned him." Ochaco points out.

"A wise decision."

"If I can cut in," I cut in, "Yaomomo, I thought your Agency already handled the media for us."

"Temporarily subdued them. Threatened to sue where we could, matched their ratings financially when we couldn't. So unless some other news overtakes your three's in popularity: you'll be back in the rumor mill in a week's time. And outside of that – buying the silence of the press doesn't silence the people. People will talk about you regardless of news articles."

"You haven't been on the news in a while and people still talk about you." my husband says with a nervous laugh.

"I'm well aware." Several see-through screens appear around Yaomomo. Social media feeds, with her as the focus of gossips and memes. One more screen blinks into view and blankets the rest – an Agency ranking list, with hers located in third place. "People can speak ill of me as they wish, but my results speak for themselves. Negative talks over my reputation are now treated as harmless banter, because I've already proven my overall worth to the public. That's what you three will be aiming to accomplish."

"You mean that's what you'll be pushing us to accomplish." I sigh and slump my shoulders. "It's going to absolutely kill us, but I'll agree to this plan. It's sound. Count me in."

"There's really nothing else we can do." Izuku stretches and yawns. "Count me in, too."

Yaomomo suddenly looks up from her tablet and glares at us. Or rather, at only one of us. "There's always something else you can do, Midoriya." she says to him sternly, as her eye darts off to the side – then back at him. I'm not sure what that gesture meant, but Izuku definitely understood it.  
My husband looks down at his feet in guilt. Yaoyorozu's glare becomes sharper at his silence. There's an unspoken fight occurring here that I know nothing about, and I'm unsure if I should involve myself in. It feels like the temperature in the room is dropping rapidly.

"There's always baking."

Yaoyorozu, Izuku, and I turn our suddenly confused attentions towards Ochaco.

"Baking?" Yaoyorozu tilts her head.

"Yeah, we can bake a ton of stuff for a food drive, and really get some positive attention!" she replies cheerfully.

"I'm… I'm not sure I follow. How would this convince the public to trust you three?"

"Well, it would show we really know how to bake, and that we're not as bad as they think we are."

"I suppose? But shouldn't the focus be on improving your reputation as heroes? Not simply as do-gooders?"

"Yeah."

"… I'm sorry, Ochaco. I'm really not following."

"No, no, you're right. This doesn't have much to do with us being heroes. I was just adding to what you said. You know, 'there's always something else you can do'. So I thought 'baking, baking is something else we can do'. It doesn't do much for this topic in particular, but it is 'something else'."

Izuku and I flinch in surprise as something very unexpected just came out of Yaoyorozu's lips: a laugh. The reclusive and somber Yaoyorozu Momo, whose cold shoulder towards the world keeps nearly everyone around her at an impossible distance – just laughed. A friendly and warm laugh. I haven't seen her smile in years, and here she was giggling and chuckling to a grown woman's oblivious reply.  
Honestly, I should hesitate in ever calling any of Ochaco's replies 'oblivious'. Though at times she can seem overly carefree and childishly ditzy, she holds this innate ability to always say the right things at the right time, or even the wrong things at the right time, in order to cheer someone up. Her success rate in getting others to grin and drop their guard is so high that one would think she was doing it deliberately, and expertly so.  
But the unaware smile she shares whenever someone laughs at her words always makes one second-guess that analysis.  
The woman just committed a miracle of an act, but that tiny smile of hers just screams 'did I say something weird?'

"Um, Momo, I have a question." Ochaco nonchalantly interrupts the miracle laugh and asks, "What does 'this plan' entail exactly? Like, what are we going to be doing tomorrow?"

Yaomomo calms her giggling and wipes away tears from her eyes, before clearing her throat and returning to her professional disposition. She presses something invisible to us and the culminating screens surrounding her disappear. A single new screen appears at the emptied center – a written schedule of some kind.  
"Tomorrow, I have you scheduled for three missions. Two are heroguard duties located on the coast, where you'll be serving as reinforcements for two different anti-trafficking operations. The third mission is in a city to the north, where you'll support the local police in finding a kidnapped heroine. You'll also begin your reparations towards Sparkling Agency that day, by attending a banquet one of their heroes has been invited to. I've secured invitations for you three, as well as some premium catalogues for support distributors that the hero may be interested in."

"We're bribing ourselves back to their good graces?" I question.

"You won't be purchasing anything from the catalogue for them, just offering them the catalogues to peruse and use themselves. We don't buy favors in this Agency."

"Excepting the press."

"We paid for them to not favor you. There's a difference."

Ochaco unnecessarily raises her hand for a turn at the conversation. "Another question?"

"Yes, Ochaco?"

"Do we, um, have any days off this week?"

"Of course. Seventh days are free for all employees to rest. Your color code in the system also has reserved you first days for rest as well. So you'll have the basic weekends off."

"That's a relie–"

"You'll need both those days to rest, as you'll be tracking and shutting down a major Villain group before the end of the week."

"V-Villain grou–"

"And the week after as well."

"Two groups?!"

"Three. By the end of this month, I'll have you find and arrest the three largest Villain organizations in this city. On your own, with no battle support outside of this Agency's equipment. You'll still have access to our private information networks to triangulate their bases of operations, of course. And I'll have my personal assistant help you with anything else you require."

"Th-Three groups, then." Ochaco's face turns pale as she nods. "Okey dokey. That's doable. No problem. Okey… Okay." Her head slides itself back behind the bathroom door. The door clicks shut. "Three versus three. It's only fair!" she laughs terribly, just before she resumes her earlier toilet activity.  
I'd feel pity for how nerve-wrecked Ochaco is right now, if I wasn't feeling the same way.

Shutting down three major Villain organizations, each estimated to have over a hundred villains recruited, and with hundreds more lesser criminals filling their ranks, in a single month? No one's ever accomplished a feat like that on their own… Not even All Might.

"Do you really think we can do this?" Izuku voices our reasonable self-doubt.

"No." Yaomomo says coldly. "Of course not. It's an impossible task. But… if you do somehow achieve the impossible, then I would have no right to question your relationship."


	20. Extra Ch9 - The Hard Way

Musutafu City. A bustling urban jungle filled to the brim with powerful quirk-users and interesting individuals. The fact that it's the home of the illustrious U.A. High School means that it's become the working territory of hundreds of talented heroes, and the settling place of hundreds more, nearly-as-talented, failed examinees – turned civilians, or otherwise vigilantes. Because of this populace's overall affiliation with hero-work, most would presume it's the safest city in Japan. However, below its shining and admirable surface, lies a despicable and dangerous criminal shadow.  
After the fall of All-Might – an event that the world of heroes is still struggling to recover from – many would-be criminals began appearing from the city's dissatisfied populace, and many more from outside of it. This was the place that the League of Villains claimed their victory against the world's greatest hero, and where thousands of new villains sought to create their own legends. Even after the city's heroes, alongside volunteers from the neighboring cities and some support from the United States, rallied themselves behind my husband's heroic charge against the League and swiftly brought them to justice… this criminal underbelly still survives, and has defiantly thrived.  
Heroes could be killed. Even those that were thought to be immortal. That was all the world of villains needed to know. And with that proof, their numbers only increased, and their selfish fanaticism could only heighten from here on.  
And with that fact, we heroes, with the help of local and government law enforcement, doubled in our efforts to arrest these criminals and keep safe the populace. Regular civilians began to bulk purchase self-defense items from Support Companies, police forces were quicker to respond to any perceived threats, militarized police became the norm, and it was practically impossible to keep track of the ever-multiplying number of vigilantes. An aggressive anti-villain culture spread throughout this city, and is continuing to pass onto other districts in Japan. One can only quickly adapt to this extreme culture of anti-villainy, or regrettably become a victim to it. You were either with us, or against us.  
That was why many of the students of U.A. adjusted their approaches to heroism, with villain-battling as their focus. And that's why thousands of villains banded together in response. A war was occurring in this city. A war where numbers determined the victories of its battles.  
In this war, a single hero couldn't defeat two villains, because those numbers always exponentially grew by the battle's end. One became two. Two became four. Four, eight. And it wasn't uncommon to have incidents end with over fifty individuals battling in the streets.

So what chance did three heroes have against seventy villains?  
Barely a chance, but barely is all we needed.  
We won. After a horrible seven hour battle… we won.

The heroes Deku, Hoplight, and Uravity succeeded in their fight against The Poisoned Mind – a criminal organization that was known for its uncanny ability to pass information between its members in milliseconds. It's more accurate to say that the three of us only succeeded in defeating one villain in this group, as we had discovered that all members of the Poisoned Mind were under a hive-mind-control by a single, omega-grade villain, known as Foursight. Fighting any group or individual in the Poisoned Mind meant that you were facing off against Foursight personally.  
It was terrifying, the idea that someone had a Quirk that could steal your body so wholly, at that massive of a scale… And it was even more terrifying seeing all those villains share that man's same, peculiar smile. I wonder if they were still conscious under his mind-control.  
I wonder if they were still conscious during that fight. Deku and I knocked out a fair number of them in painful ways – as they wouldn't go down otherwise. Uravity could only incapacitate a few at a time. But all of them fell to the ground at once, as if the strings of a puppet were cut, when we were finally able to single out and defeat their possessor, Foursight.  
This had been a near-impossible venture, considering our foe, our numbers, and our time-limit. But it was at least made 'near-impossible', as opposed to being kept 'impossible' – with great thanks to Yaomomo's personal assistant. The seventy-two we faced in The Poisoned Mind's base was originally numbered at one-hundred sixty-eight, but Yaomomo's assistant had created for us an odd device that emitted a nauseating high-pitch sound, which somehow cut through the mental link of over half of the hive-mind. Had Foursight been able to keep his full roster of enslaved villains for that fight, I highly doubt we would have succeeded, let alone gotten out alive.  
We really owe Creati for this victory – not that Momo will let her take any credit for it.

The heroine Creati, civilian name Akahoshi Hitomi, is Yaoyorozu Momo's personal assistant, inheritor of her former hero name, and was an underclassman of ours back in U.A. Izuku and I never met her beforehand, nor did we know anything about her until just a few days ago, but apparently Ochaco was quite familiar with her. During our third year, Ochaco volunteered to help mentor the first year students of the Hero Course – a task that traditionally fell on many third years. But our last year had been a hectic time, so very few of us could spare the effort to meet and greet our underclassmen. Uraraka, though, made the effort to mentor them. And it was there that she met Akahoshi.  
At that time, Akahoshi was a shy and withdrawn girl that was terrified of her own Quirk's power. With the ability to manifest anything that made logical, physical sense in our reality out of thin air, with just her thoughts – most of her fellow classmates assumed she would have been proud of her Quirk. But there was a drawback to her ability that kept her from using it with confidence: with every imagined item she made physical, she would permanently lose a memory. And with larger, more complicated objects, she would lose several memories at once.  
From what she had been told by her parents: in the past, Akahoshi had even reset her mind back to its infant stage, after creating intricate items – twice. She'd lost childhood friends and important experiences because of this drawback. So it was a surprise for those who knew her that, after years of abstaining from her Quirk's use, she had taken U.A.'s entrance exam and entered into its Hero Course.  
Izuku had inspired her, apparently. The stunts he pulled back in the Sports Festival and the publicized events afterwards – using his Quirk sparingly, and breaking through its self-harming weaknesses – pushed her to use her Quirk again – to not be chained down by it – to reach for something greater than her fears. And with time and discipline, she succeeded in those goals.  
During her first year, she had been trained by Uraraka in how to use her Quirk more efficiently. During her second, after petitioning to be an intern for a small-at-the-time Agency, Yaoyorozu took her in and mentored her personally – teaching her how to counter her Quirk's glaring weaknesses. By her third year, she had mastered the creation ability by minimalizing its negative aftereffects. And by graduation, she was invited into The Hero's Rescue Agency, to work directly under Yaomomo – though she rarely ever gets to see her in-person.  
Akahoshi told us this summary of her hero-career when we first met her…  
And again, when we asked her to tell us a little more about herself…  
And again, while we were sharing stories about ourselves over the com-radio…  
And once more, now, while we're limping back to our Agency vehicle.

"Um, Creati, you told us this before. Four times, actually." Uraraka says what Izuku and I have been avoiding to say. We didn't want to discourage Akahoshi, especially since she seemed proud over how much she's improved in her memory reductions. But it needed to be said, I suppose. And it's better that Uraraka is the one to bring it up – since they're more familiar with each other.

"Is that so?" the younger woman says with a blank expression, "I apologize."

…

Silence has taken over the conversation – for the third time today.

Akahoshi is… a very awkward girl. In casual conversation or with honest questions, she keeps responses distant and overly formal. Answers or comments always come in a strange two-sentence format – no more, no less. Humor also seems absolutely foreign to her. And the only things we know about her personality beneath this forced sense of professionalism: is that she's often lost in thought, and that she's only conversational whenever topics about heroes are brought up.  
The former may just be her trying to recall lost memories, but the latter may have more to do with the fact that she graduated at the start of the 'Fan Hero' era – a time where a majority of newcomer heroes and heroines based their approach to justice on the legends that came before them, rather than build up a natural sense for it themselves. In other words: she's a fangirl. And most likely, her awkward and professional attitude comes from emulating her favorite heroine and manager, Yaoyorozu.  
Yaoyorozu must not talk much with the poor girl. I wonder how they can manage communicating Agency information with each other if they both follow this two-sentence format.

My husband clears his throat to break the lingering silence. "W-Weren't we parked on the other side of the building?"

"Yes." is sentence number-one of two in Akahoshi's response. "But we had it moved to avoid the press." is number-two.

"Oh… Are we not supposed to talk with the press about this mission?"

"The boss says that the public shouldn't think your efforts are made to gain positive media coverage. They should conclude that you're making these efforts out of your own desire to save people."

"I suppose. But, er, I've been wondering about something… Is the Hero's Rescue even authorized to do missions like these? Making direct raids on villain bases, that is. That's more Endeavor Agency's domain, right? I thought Hero's Rescue only works with cases where a hero is in danger, or is put in a dangerous situation."

"Several of the villains working under The Poisoned Mind were originally heroes that went rogue. After what you discovered about Foursight's mind-controlling Quirk, the Hero's Rescue got authorization for the raid."

"But we made that discovery after we started the raid…"

"The public doesn't know that."

"Wait, wait, wait – did we just do something illegal?"

"It would have only been considered illegal if those villains weren't wanted criminals. They were wanted criminals."

"But there's a legal order to this, right? Agency domain regulations. Our Agency can't act on an unrelated, already-claimed domain without contract permissions. If any Agencies staking out that base found out that we raided it without proof of an endangered hero beforehand, they would have full rights to sue us!"

"Your color-coding this week is chartreuse – which has you associated with our Investigation and Vigilante Wings. Any questioning Agencies would have to go through them in order to find any substantial evidence."

"That… That doesn't change the fact that we're doing this out of turn, and behind other heroes' backs."

"No other heroes have succeeded in what you three just accomplished, Mr. Midoriya. I'm sure they would be grateful for your efforts."

"Maybe… But if Yaoyorozu's Agency gets sued because of what we just did, I'd feel terrible."

"Our boss most likely knew about the possible consequences of today's raid. There's no need to worry."

"That would mean she also knows the consequences of the next two raids." I add my own concerns into the conversation, "Since there's little chance that the two largest criminal organizations share the same Quirk-problem as this one did, what would the Hero's Rescue's excuse be to work outside of its jurisdictions for those missions?"

"It wouldn't be outside of our jurisdictions to raid either of those two. One of our operatives might be held captive by one of them."

"Might? As in – you're not even sure if they're the ones responsible for this operative being captured? So we'll be working under sketchy reasons without evidence again."

"Might, as in – we're unsure which of them is holding the operative captive, or if they're even alive. Outside of that, we have substantial evidence that proves these two groups are responsible for the initial disappearance of our operative."

"Then this is an actual rescue mission." Izuku states with a very determined tone. Just a few minutes ago, he had been breathing raggedly and nearly stumbling with every step. But with the mention of a life in grave danger – Izuku quickly shrugs off his coat of mental and physical fatigue. As expected from the number-one hero Deku. It's one of the many things I admire about him.  
"How soon can we start?" he asks.

"Next week." I answer myself.

"This person needs our help now, Tsuyu!"

"And we won't be any help with the state we're in. We barely managed to stop a villain group of seventy – and that was with us at our peak. Do you honestly think we can handle either Stain's Justice or NFA while we're injured? Just look at Ochaco!"

"Huh? What did I do?" Ochaco asks, sitting inside the basket of a shopping cart. She had lost all feeling in her limbs hours ago and hadn't been able to walk since. The shopping cart was provided by Creati to help carry her back to the vehicle.

"I can –" Izuku starts.

I won't let him finish that sentence. "No. You can't. You won't. I won't let you, and neither will Ochaco."

"Huh? Do what?" Ochaco rolls her head to look in our direction.

"Izuku wants to go fight a villain group by himself."

"Are you crazy?!"

"Someone's life is in danger!" our husband defends his conviction. "And if I need to, I can ask –"

"You're unable to ask anyone for help in this task." Akahoshi uncharacteristically butts-in, "Doing so will have you expelled from Hero's Rescue."

"We're still under the no-help rule? Even when someone's life is on the line?"

"Our operative's disappearance was most likely influenced by foul play. Another hero, either inside Hero's Rescue or from an outside group we associate with, had leaked false information for the mission we placed them in."

"… Meaning?"

"Meaning our boss doesn't trust anyone with this task, outside of you three. So only you three may take on this mission."

Izuku's furrowed brows relax, as his eyes wander down to his feet. It's an expression he makes whenever he knows he's lost in a discussion, but isn't happy with its conclusion. He normally asks a question afterwards – looking for something to satisfy the end result.  
"Why did Yaoyorozu trust us with this mission? We're new recruits." he asks, on cue.

"It's precisely because we're new recruits." I answer for him. "It's because, for two weeks, we were hounded by the press, having our every public interaction recorded and publicized. Which means we have a solid alibi. It would've been impossible for us to be the culprits of the operative's disappearance, since, I assume, they went missing during those two weeks."  
I take off my battle helmet and give Akahoshi a questioning glare. "Am I correct in this assumption?"

"Yes." she answers with her first sentence. "It's exactly as you say." and completes it with her second.

"You're so smart, Tsuyu!" Ochaco compliments from her basket – nodding her head in place of applause.

"I'm nowhere near as smart as Yaomomo, it seems." I reply, with a jabbing tone directed at Akahoshi. "She had planned this from the start. We weren't picked off the job-hunting market because she felt like being nice to us – she did it because she needed someone for this impossible mission. And who better for it than the world's strongest hero? And just to make sure we could take on the city's two largest villain organizations by ourselves – she tested us against the third largest first. Am I correct in these assumptions, Creati?"

The young woman's expression hasn't changed from her forced professionalism. If I had been aiming to break her over-neutral attitude, this fact would've been discouraging. But I highly doubt that Yaomomo would've chosen a weak-willed graduate as a personal assistant. Her unflinching reaction is to be expected. No, rather than a change of expression, I'm looking for something more tangible with my questions: an exchange of information.  
"Our boss means no ill will by this, Hoplight." she replies, "She only seeks to resolve this matter as soon as possible – without further endangering our operative."

"This operative must mean a lot to the Agency then, if our by-the-rules, cares-for-her-reputation boss is unwilling to go through the proper authorities and procedures to rescue them. Is this 'operative' carrying vital information for the Agency? Or more likely – is this person vital information for the Agency?"

"I'm unsure of what you're insinuating. We can brief you on this mission once you're ready to take it."

"I'm insinuating that you not sharing the operative's name, or giving us this information beforehand, marks this mission as heavily suspicious. If this was a personal rescue mission, Yaoyorozu knows us well enough that all she had to do was give us a name and a location – and we'd be there, regardless if we worked under her or not. Who is this 'operative'? And why wasn't their kidnapping – a working member of one of the largest Agencies there is – mentioned at all by the media?"

For the first time in our conversations with her, Akahoshi Hitomi said nothing in reply.

"Izuku," I say as I turn away from Akahoshi, "I vote that we leave this Agency. There's something very sketchy happening here. I don't want us involved in it."

"Eh?! We're leaving already?!" Ochaco exclaims.

"It's up for vote. So long as Izuku allows it."

Our husband looks at each of us with concern. We've stopped in our tracks, just a few feet away from the Agency vehicle – its doors wide open. The driver inside is curiously waiting for us to enter into its safety.  
If we seat ourselves now, then those doors will close and we'll return to our new home – agreeing without words, to the suspicious future the Agency wants for us.  
But if we turn around now, then those doors will close themselves from us, permanently – and we'll be vulnerable to whatever uncertain future awaits us without an Agency.  
To even allow this discussion is a detrimental decision, because being given the chance to answer will put into question our trust in Yaoyorozu. I've already shown my distrust. If anyone else shows it here, in front of her personal assistant, then it won't matter if we remain or go: Yaoyorozu will most likely remove us from this task, and our relationship with her will fall apart.  
I'm willing to face the fallout of this decision, for the sake of my loved ones' safeties.  
But is Izuku?

Rather than conferring with either of his wives, Izuku surprisingly turns his attention to the one who removed herself from the conversation. "Akahoshi," he says, "If you tell us the name of the operative, we'll agree to take on the mission."

Creati turns towards Izuku and blinks.

After a long moment of silence, she answers him, "Her name is Hagakure Toru, also known by her hero name 'Invisible Girl'. And as of two weeks ago – she's been marked a 'Villain' by our investigative teams."


	21. Extra Ch10 - Texting,

" _ **Akahoshi Hitomi  
Mobile"**_

Aka [This is a test text. Have you received this, Uraraka?]

Ura [(o'u'o\\) Roger Roger! Text received! Hello again, Hitomi!]

Aka [Oh, do we refer to each other informally via text? Should I call you 'Ochaco'?]

Ura [*(ouo)* You're as cute as ever, Hitomi! Yes, yes, call me Ochaco!]

Aka [Thank you for the compliment. You are cuter than when we first met, Ochaco.]

Ura [(/#'o'#\\) Oh my. Thank you.]

Aka [I meant that more as an observation than as a compliment. Though it can be taken as a compliment as well.]

Ura [( 'u') Eh? Observation? Am I texting weirder than I used to?]

Aka [No, your texting is curiously the same as before. I meant your overall looks and personality.]

Ura [(#'-'#) EHH? ME? Cuter than when I was 18?! You're joking!]  
\- [No wait, I was 17 when we met! No way!]

Aka [I am not joking. You are definitely cuter than when we met. You are more cheerful and friendlier.]

Ura [(/'A'\\) You just made a third sentence!]

Aka [.-. ?]

Ura [(/*O*\\) You use emotes!]

Aka [.-. ? Yes, I do?]

Ura [(#^u^;) Eheh, forgive me. I know you do. It's just been forever since we've texted.]

Aka [Three years. Five months. Six days. Nine hours.]

Ura [('n') You've been counting? Aww, now I feel awful.]

Aka [No. I just have your old phone number's text still on my phone. I saw the date and time on it. We were talking about getting me a boyfriend. Then you stopped texting me after I asked if you had one.]

Ura [n(_ _)n I'm SO SORRY! I remember that! … I was just having a rough day that day…]  
\- [WAIT. YOU HAVEN'T UPGRADED YOUR PHONE IN THREE YEARS?!]

Aka [This phone works as it should.]

Ura [What about your apps? Do they still work?]

Aka [I don't use apps. They are a distraction.]

Ura [(;;^u^) Practical as always, Hitomi.]

Aka [Have I not changed much?]

Ura [The way you talk definitely has changed. But you're still the same ol' Hitomi I know and love~]

Aka [I see]

Ura [('n') Did I say something upsetting?]

Aka [You can still tell when I get upset? I must really not have changed much.]

(10:42 AM)

* * *

Ura [There's nothing wrong with staying the same, Hitomi. It means you have strong character and firm beliefs. As long as you're not hurting yourself or other people by doing so – staying the same can only be a positive thing.]

Aka [What if staying the same keeps you from improving? It's nice to be called strong by you, teacher. But I still want to be stronger than I used to be.]

Ura [You're plenty stronger! Even after all the stuff you made yesterday, you still remembered my name! AND yesterday's date. You even remembered that we used to text each other! That's so much better than when we first met.]

Aka [I am not speaking of Quirks, teacher. 'Character' and 'beliefs'. I feel like I haven't improved in either.]

Ura [Hmm. What makes you say that? Measuring the improvement of character and beliefs is really difficult, you know?]

Aka [Measurement is made easier through comparison. Compared to you, I have not changed at all.]

Ura [Eh? I haven't changed much at all, Hitomi. At least, I don't think so.]

Aka [No, it is very clear that you have changed. Cuter, friendlier, happier, more confident, more sure of yourself, more beautiful, stronger, tougher, sharper, greater. It's as if the Ochaco I trained under was someone completely different than the one I supervised yesterday.]

Ura [Time and experience changes us all, you know?]

Aka [If that is all it takes to change us, then what was it that made you leap further than the rest of us? Ms. Yaoyorozu, my coworkers, my old classmates, myself… Compared to you, it feels as if the rest of us are trapped in the past.]

(10:59 AM)

* * *

Ura [('n') I'm sorry, Hitomi. This subject is really over my head. I'm not sure how to correctly analyze myself or others. I can't really say what makes me different from other people. All I can say is that I'm doing my best to live honestly and genuinely – and that everyone should too.]

Aka [Is it Deku?]

Ura [Is what Deku?]

Aka [Is he the reason why you've changed so much?]

Ura [(##/u\\##) OH IS THAT WHAT YOU MEAN?! (##/V\\##) AAAAAAAAAAAH]

Aka [o_o Why are you yelling?]

Ura [(##^U^##) EHEH SORRY!]  
\- [(#'u') If I can be honest with that question: Yes. Yes, he's the reason why I've 'changed.']

Aka [What did he do to you?]

Ura [(####3##) PFF DON'T SAY IT THAT WAY, HITOMI]

Aka [What way?]

(11:05 AM)

* * *

Ura [(#'U';) Nothing, nothing. He didn't do anything *to* me… He only opened up for me. I fell in love with him, he let me, he started to love me back, and well, that's when I started to 'change' – I think. I don't know *how* I've changed, or anything like that. But I do know that after that stuff, things in my life started to look a lot brighter – and better – and AAAAAAAAAAH]

Aka [._. I'm sorry if this seems rude, Ochaco, but… how can you love a man who's already married?]

Ura [I can gush about all the things I love about him, but that won't really answer your question, will it?]  
\- [I guess a really plain way of putting it is: Do you stop liking a flavor of ice cream just because someone else likes it too?]

Aka [Teacher, you can't compare it to something like that. It's too simple. Love is more complicated, isn't it?]

(11:10 AM)

* * *

Ura [Sorry, I'm kind of awful with metaphors. I don't really know how to satisfy a question like that. I just know that I love him, despite him being married, because he's married… I just love him. And I can't see it the same way other people see it, because no one else seems to see him the way I do.]

Aka [Except his wife. She loved him first.]

Ura [Not… *fully* true, Hitomi. It's a bit more complicated than that.]

Aka [Then what about: he loved her first.]

Ura [That's not… *quite* true either. I mean, it is, but it isn't. Ahh, it's so complicated.]

(11:15 AM)

* * *

Aka [How can you feel safe in your relationship, knowing that he didn't choose you first? I listened to the interviews you were in. All of them. Unless there's more to it than what you've said in them: I'm really confused as to why you stayed by his side, as his friend, and especially as something more than that.]

Ura [No, there wasn't more to it than what I said. Well, not until later. Except… Er, wow, our story is a lot more complicated than I thought it was! I can understand why you're confused.]

Aka [It feels like you're avoiding my question, teacher…]

Ura [Sorry. It just feels like you're asking three questions at once. I'm not sure what my answer should be.]

Aka [Then forget my previous questions. I'll just ask one question this time. If it's okay with you. I realize I'm being rather rude and intrusive…]

Ura [I don't feel as if you're intruding. You're genuinely curious over something I've caused confusion over, because of how poorly I handled those interviews. If anything, I'm clearing up my mistakes by talking it out with you. So please, ask your question.]

Aka [How can you be happy beside Deku, knowing that you're not the only one on his mind?]

Ura [I think… Aside from being happy beside him *separate* from the idea that he has someone else on his mind – because that is the case most times: I'm not always thinking that he belongs to someone else. I just think about *my* relationship with him when I'm beside him. Aside from that…]

(11:21 AM)

* * *

Ura [I think there's two other reasons… The first is that I think Tsuyu is perfect for him. She's such an amazing and smart woman. Her common sense is more like 'superb sense', or 'rare sense'. It's such a comfort knowing that Izuku is with someone like her. She looks after him and pays attention to him in ways I can't even imagine. It's almost like she's always thinking about their future together, so that their present is always safe. Or something like that.]

(11:26 AM)

* * *

Ura [She understands his thoughts and feelings so naturally, you'd think they shared the same brain and heart! And the way the two of them spend time together is so sweet in how peaceful it is… It's like how an old couple live out their retirement together, except it looks sweeter because of how young they still are. And, well, I can keep gushing about how perfect I think she is for him. But an easy way to see how perfect they are together: is seeing the two of them fight villains together. Have you?]

Aka [Yes. It's like watching a fencer with their rapier. Or like a skating pair on the ice rink. It's as if they're not fighting the villains at all – but simply dancing between themselves.]

Ura [I KNOW! They're so awesome together! Needless to say, I'm a total fan of them.]

Aka [Your second reason?]

Ura [Oh right. Um. The first reason was to show that I don't really see Tsuyu as a threat, because I can only see her as a positive for Izuku. If she's on his mind: I totally get why! If anything, I feel really envious for what they have… But! For the second reason…]

(11:33 AM)

* * *

Ura [The second reason is that: I'm confident that Izuku loves me. Even if he loves Tsuyu, even if he loved her first, even if he married her, even if he chose her before me, even if he accepted her feelings before accepting mine… I know that none of those things affect what he feels for me now, how he cherishes me now. His feelings for me are genuine and true. And when he has Tsuyu on his mind, I know for a fact that I'm on his mind too.]

(11:39 AM)

* * *

Ura [Hold on, still typing.]

(11:46 AM)

* * *

Ura [The fact that I'm not the only one on his mind, and yet he does his absolute best to show that he loves me – even to the point of staying up super late at night and early into the morning just to talk with me… When he goes out of his way to take me out on dates and spoil me… When he makes my lunch and adds my favorite snacks… And remembers the little off-hand remarks I make every day… All those things, and *so* much more, just show me how much he loves me.]  
-[I don't feel like a second wife, or a lover on the side. I just feel like his wife. And that he loves me. With the bonus that my best friend Tsuyu is always with us too, and that she cares for him as much as I do.]  
-[OK, I'm done typing.]

Aka [Knowing that he chose her first doesn't hurt you at all?]

(11:53 AM)

* * *

Ura [Of course it hurts. If I think about it. But that's if I think about that idea separate from everything else. It's like a sad memory: it's only really sad if you don't remember what came before it and what comes after. Your memories aren't separate: they're all pieces that make a picture whole.]  
-[AAAH! I just realized how insensitive that example was! I'm sorry!]

Aka [.-. ?]

Ura [You know, memories… Because you lose them. Right? You still forget them because of your Quirk?]

Aka [Oh. Yes. I still forget. I can't use my Quirk without losing a few.]

Ura [(#n#) Sorry for being so insensitive.]

Aka [I'm not hurt by it. It's a fact of my life, and I'm no longer ashamed of it.]

Ura [( ^u^) And here you were saying that you haven't changed much. You've changed *so* much!]

Aka [Again, not in comparison to you. You have changed beyond comparison to when I met you. My old teacher would not have admitted any of the things you previously mentioned.]

Ura [(##^u^#) No, I guess not.]

(11:57 AM)

* * *

Aka [My old teacher would have stayed jealous, and distanced herself. She would not have been fine with 'sharing' her affections with another lover. She would have jealously fought over him or given up on him entirely. 'If you can't win a competition – try harder, or join another event!' is what she taught me.]

Ura [(##^u^;;) Yeah…]

Aka [What happened?]

Ura [( ^u^;) In what way do you mean that question?]

(11:59 AM)

* * *

Aka [I'm not sure… I'm still very confused as to your decision to be a secondary wife… But as you explain it: you are not treated as a secondary. But I can't imagine how that can be unless his original wife is being treated as his secondary. It makes little sense to me. No human can have two masters. No person can share the same affections for two people.]

Ura [Well… Does a parent have to have a favorite child?]

Aka [You're not his child.]

Ura [I'm not his master. And he doesn't have the same affections for me as he does for Tsuyu.]

Aka [How can you be sure?]

Ura [Didn't you just say that those two things were impossible?]

Aka [Inferring that he cannot love the two of you equally. He has to favor one over the other.]

Ura [Why is that the only conclusion?]

(12:09 PM)

* * *

Aka [I am not sure.]

Ura [Is there something you want to talk about Hitomi?]

Aka [?]

Ura [The Hitomi I know wouldn't press so much with a question after already being given an answer. Unless something was wrong.]

Aka [Nothing is wrong. I apologize for complicating this exchange of texts.]

Ura [I'm coming over to visit, OK?]

Aka [You are extremely injured. Remain in bed.]

Ura [Well, I would… But a really nice person made me this really nifty automatic wheelchair for me. It really makes it easy for me to get out of bed, and it can even go up stairways.]

Aka [I did not create it for you so that you can inconvenience yourself. Please rest.]

Ura [Thirtieth floor, right? A6?]

Aka [Yes, that is where I am. And it is not where you should be going.]

Ura [Whoops, someone's already knocking on your door. Better answer it.]

Aka [? How?]

Ura [I must've not changed too much, because I remember doing this exact same thing before.]

Aka [I'm not letting you in.]

Ura [And look at that, you still keep a spare key attached to the bottom of your welcome mat! Just like old times.]

Aka [I beg of you, please don't!]

(12:25 PM)


	22. Extra Ch11 - Like We Used To

_Author's Note: This fanfic is listed as "Completed" since the initial chapters (1-11) were completed as of August of 2017. In its original series - this fic *is* complete. If additional chapters are added afterwards, this is due to the author throwing them in at their own fancy. It will *not* be listed as "Incomplete" due to these added chapters, whether or not more are planned for the future. Follow or unfollow at your own leisure._

* * *

" _ **Yaoyorozu Momo  
Mobile"**_

Mid [Yaomomo. its me Tsuyu]

Yao [Where did you get this number?]

Mid [i found it on my husband's phone. i didnt know you had a smartphone]

Yao [I didn't give you permission to use this number. Goodbye.]

Mid [i didnt give you permission to text my husband in secret. hello]

Yao [It was not secret for any reason you would think of. It was simply to speak with him in a more relaxed manner. Over more casual matters, as a friend.]

Mid [to talk about old times, like old times. i know, i breezed through his texts]

Yao [I didn't expect you to be an overly suspicious wife, Tsuyu.]

Mid [i didnt expect your texts to still look so cutesy at your age, Momo]

Yao [It's rude of you to pry into other people's texts. Even if they are your husband's.]

Mid [consider me inept when it comes to common courtesy. especially towards those who use my husband as a tool to handle their company's dirty secrets]

Yao [If you wish to discuss the upcoming mission in detail. Then please, visit me in my office.]

Mid [my body is so beat that i cant twitch my toe without tearing up. i'd rather not leave my bed]

Yao [Ochaco seems well enough to move.]

Mid [?]

Yao [I can see her on our security cams. She's using a wheelchair to get to the elevator.]

Mid [… i have no idea what shes doing. or where she got a wheelchair. does your medical facility send them to rooms?]

Yao [On request. The wheelchair she's using, though, looks nothing like the ones our medical facility provides.]

Mid [no idea what thats about]  
-[anyways. i do want to talk about the upcoming mission in detail.]

Yao [Then we can speak over the phone. Call my office number.]

Mid [the one you never answer?]

Yao [I will answer this time.]

Mid [i still prefer to do this over text. i cant move my jaw much. and besides, you look like youre more honest in your texts than you are over the phone]

Yao [I would greatly appreciate it if you stopped looking through your husband's texts.]

Mid [afraid i might see something i shouldnt see?]

Yao [Aside from all the texts, which were meant to be kept private between us? No. Outside of privacy reasons, you won't find anything like that in our texts. I just prefer you to respect the privacy.]

Mid [i put away his phone]

Yao [Thank you. Now what is it that you want to talk about?]

Mid [Toru. i never knew she joined your company]

Yao [Her contract is under a different name, and it was kept a secret.]

Mid [reason?]

(12:14 PM)

* * *

Yao [Nothing I can disclose in detail over a public or commercial line. But simply put: she was hired into my private security force. If her name could be found on my company listing, then it would have been easier for intruders to know what to expect.]

Mid [so then whats this about what your investigators found out?]

Yao [I would really prefer to have this discussion in-person, or over my private line.]

Mid [and i really would prefer to stay in bed and not move my mouth. dont worry, i wont say anything specific. i'll keep things vague]

Yao [Very well. Then please know that I cannot divulge enough information to satisfy your questions over these texts.]

Mid [thats obvious. but let me be the judge of whats 'satisfactory']

(12:18 PM)

* * *

Yao [Then to vaguely answer your question: I have reasons to believe that what my investigators found and are acting on – is suspiciously inaccurate information. I would not recommend you make any conclusions after reading their reports.]

Mid [but you were praising your investigative teams earlier, saying how thorough they were and how they could match, or even pass, the best detective agencies in this city]

Yao [Which is why it's very concerning that they're working with inaccurate information. I do not find a fault with them – but with how convincing the false information is.]

Mid [and what is your proof?]

Yao [Outside of a few leads that I can't discuss here… I'm afraid I don't have much else. Call it 'intuition' or 'instinct', but I cannot help but feel that the conclusion that my investigators have reached are completely incorrect.]

Mid [in other words, you trust Toru over them]

Yao [Yes.]

Mid [has Toru contacted you?]

Yao [No. Her comm's frequency is suspiciously quiet.]

Mid [and that wouldn't prove the investigators' leads?]

Yao [Quite the opposite. If what the investigation teams found is true, then Toru would have benefitted more from countering their evidences, than simply remaining quiet over them.]

Mid [are you sure about this?]

Yao [You can never truly be sure of anything in this business… But if old relationships count for anything – then I would prefer to hold onto that trust than turn my back to it.]

Mid [really? coming from the woman who stopped speaking with her friends for years?]

Yao [Toru continued in her attempts to speak with me. All the way up to our graduation. I owe her for that. Where were you?]  
-[I apologize. That was very unfair of me.]

Mid [no i suppose youre right. she tried, while the rest of us gave up too early. i am sorry for that Momo.]

Yao [I forgive you. And I am sorry for the poor behavior on my part. I shouldn't have shunned the rest of you for that issue.]

Mid [ever care to tell me what that issue was?]

(12:31 PM)

* * *

Yao [Your husband hasn't?]

Mid [no, he never spoke a word about it. he said it would have hurt you if anyone ever found out]

Yao [He's not wrong, but]  
-[He should've told you. It's wrong for him to keep that a secret.]

Mid [if thats the case then why was it wrong for me to look through his texts?]

Yao [The issue between your husband and I is far more detrimental to your relationship than our small textings.]

Mid [so then what was the issue?]

Yao [I'll speak with him later. I'll have him tell you. It's better if it comes from him.]

Mid [i'd prefer to hear both sides. but i'll hear it from him first then]

Yao [That way is for the better. But for now, this discussion is neither here nor there. Your team should be focused more on the missions ahead, rather than bickering over this old topic. I'll let him know about this talk after you've accomplished your missions.]

Mid [you seem confident that we'll make it out alive]

Yao [After what you've shown in your fight against the Poisoned Mind: I have no doubt you'll succeed.]

Mid [did we see the same numbers for that last mission? time completion, damage ratio, and number ratio? comparing that to the next ones is like comparing a pebble to a boulder]

(12:40 PM)

* * *

Yao [I wasn't judging your effectiveness over those results. I am judging it off of the personal reports Creati had given me. Specifically, in how you discovered the villain lead's Quirk. Your hesitation to jumping to the more obvious conclusions, while still making quick deductions under pressure, proves that you have the best mindset for the upcoming missions.]  
-[The best way to bring down an organization is to cut off its head. And finding the head of the Poisoned Mind was like finding a lone cricket in the forest. You're more than qualified for the next missions.]

Mid [i doubt we'll be ready for them in time. it'll take more than two days to recover from these injuries]

Yao [Then I'll clear your schedule for the week. Focus on recovering first before taking on those missions.]

Mid [but we still have the one week time limit for each of the groups, right?]

Yao [Yes. That requisite still remains.]

Mid [ugh. fine. we can work with that. well, i can. i doubt my husband is happy having to wait so long]

Yao [Creati can keep him busy with beneficial tasks until then. He can help gather necessary materials for support items with her, and study over the villain files we have.]

(12:51 PM)

* * *

Mid [Creati is going to need more than that to keep my husband distracted. once he knows someone's in trouble, it takes a miracle to stop him from rushing out the door. or at least a really hard jab to the rib]  
-[dont tell her to jab him in the rib. thats my duty]

Yao [Don't worry, Creati would never dare hurt her favorite Hero.]

Mid [?]

Yao [Did I say something odd?]

Mid [i thought you were her favorite hero]

Yao [I'm no longer a Hero, Tsuyu. That automatically disqualifies me from that assumption.]

Mid [i know that, but i thought that was why she took on your old hero name. i thought she was a fan hero]

Yao [Akahoshi is very much a fan hero. But she took on my hero name simply out of convenience. She couldn't think of a hero name for herself, so she asked to take on mine.]

Mid [oh]

Yao [The hero Akahoshi looks up to most is Deku. She's been a fan of his since before she joined U.A. If you ever get the chance to look into her room, it's absolutely filled with Deku merchandise. And far too many custom posters of him.]

Mid [i see]

Yao [Don't worry. She means nothing by it. She's simply a big fan of his.]

Mid [its strange. she doesnt act like it. most fan heroes are aggravating to be around when their favorite hero is nearby]

Yao [I wouldn't hire someone who could lose their professionalism over their silly fanaticism. Everyone in my company is allowed to hold whatever hobbies they please – so long as they don't harm themselves, the company's name, or anyone else in the process.]

Mid [is it fine that shes working directly for us then? wouldnt it endanger her ability to make rational decisions during battle?]

Yao [Firstly, she's not allowed to assist any of you directly in battle. If she ever does, please report the incident to me immediately.]  
-[Secondly, despite her calm demeanor, Akahoshi is anything but rational. Her favorite Hero is Deku, remember. Would you consider Deku 'rational' under most circumstances?]

Mid [no]

Yao [Then you have your answer: she isn't rational. So there's nothing to endanger.]

Mid [having her near Deku wouldn't increase her chances for irrational outbursts?]

(01:07 PM)

* * *

Yao [It's the opposite for her. If I kept her away from you three, she might have attempted to leave her post in order to help in your battle against the Poisoned Mind. And if she did, I would have had to make the terrible decision of firing my only assistant. Leaving her with you three allows her to watch her favorite Hero in action, up close – which will only prove to her that her direct meddling isn't necessary for him to succeed.]

Mid [you set everything up from the very beginning…]

Yao [The best solutions are ones that can solve multiple problems at once.]

Mid [what else do you plan to solve with us under your agency, i wonder]

Yao [Do you hold this against me, Tsuyu? I am acting as I should be, according to my position as CEO of this Agency. I have more than just you three to look after.]

Mid [no i didnt mean it like that. im just surprised, is all. how can you keep this up 24/7, Momo?]

Yao [I don't. My job ends at nine PM. On the dot. And I'm off work on the seventh and third days of the week.]

Mid [but todays the seventh day of the week. and youre still at your office multitasking]

Yao [I'm always in my office. This is where I live. And I'm not multitasking, I'm just watching people on my security cams.]

Mid [? Where's your bathroom? Kitchen?]

Yao [In the walls.]

Mid [when do you ever go out to get food? or sunlight?]

Yao [Creati picks up my groceries for me every week. And I sunbathe on the building's roof.]

Mid [you take this hermit life very seriously]

Yao [I've gotten used to it. And frankly, I prefer it now. Having to live under everyone else's standards in the past stressed me in ways I didn't know of – until I left it behind me.]

Mid [yet you still check social media to see what people think of you]

Yao [No person is an island. Even I get curious of people's opinions of me from time to time. Though it really is a bad habit.]

(01:18 PM)

* * *

Mid [you really havent changed that much, have you, Yaomomo? i thought all these years that you became someone so different, cold and distant. but the way we're chatting now isnt too different from how we used to text late at nights. its really nostalgic]

Yao [Yes. It does feel like those late night texts, doesn't it? I miss those.]

Mid [we can have them again. like we used to]

Yao [If you don't mind, I would actually very much appreciate that.]

Mid [you dont mind me texting you on this number?]

Yao [As long as you stop reading Izuku and I's texts.]

Mid [i have rights as his wife]

Yao [Then don't text me.]

Mid [i'm joking. i'll stop.]

Yao [I was joking too. I would still prefer if you didn't read our private texts, but I understand if you're doing it because you're worried over your husband.]

Mid [he ended up with a second wife after all. i'll be honest and say that i'm not open to him having a third]

Yao [There's no need to worry over that. Our relationship is nothing of the sort.]

Mid [thats what Ochaco said]

Yao [I have no interest in being a man's third wife, thank you very much.]

Mid [i'll hold you to that]

Yao [Please do.]

Mid [anyways. my thumbs are numb now. i think i should be getting back to resting. we'll talk later, okay, Yaomomo?]

Yao [Of course.]  
-[Oh, and Tsuyu?]

Mid [?]

Yao [Thank you for texting me.]

Mid [thank you for answering]

(01:35 PM)


End file.
